Kings and Queens
by bottle of beast
Summary: "Where am I?" "You're in Amestris." "...Isn't that a minor shoe company?" Tally isn't smart, beautiful or good at any sport known to man (unless shopping counts). But she has enough sense to know that if she's stuck in a world where long beige sundresses are in style, something is up. Ed/OC
1. Prologue

_Death is inevitable (or at least that's what they all say). I suppose, though, that they are correct. I mean, it's sort of obvious. No one ever gets a choice. No one is ever asked, "Hey, do you wanna die or...?" "Nah, dude, I'm good." "Cool, bro." It just happens, often in gruesome, horrible ways. Or worse: unexpected ways._

_However, no one ever mentions life. More specifically, life _after_ death. Or the afterlife. Well, if we get into specifics, they do mention it. Some might even say that people spend way too much time thinking about it. Though it's all theories, really. No one's ever really gone up and came back to tell everyone about their adventures in the Great Beyond. Once you're up, there's no coming down. You stay up._

_As for theories, we have our religious radicals up first. They have the whole boundary, two-sides thing. Life and death. Heaven and hell. Good and bad. Perfect and sinner. I've always been scared of this mantra, to be honest. I mean, one mistake, one 'sin', and you're done. That's all it takes to tip the scales and send you to a fiery pit of ... darkness._

_Lovely._

_There should be an in-between, don't you think? Somewhere the Okays go. Those who don't kill but who don't save. A middle point. That would be fair and, frankly, far less terrifying._

_Next, we have our Sciencies! Commonly known as practical people or logical beings. Either way, their main theory is that nothing happens when we die. We're just buried, our flesh serving as a tasty meal for worms or insects or cannibals. Naturally, this brings about pleasant mental reassurances. This is probably even scarier than the religious point of view. At least there, you exist. Can you imagine not living? At all? Anywhere? It would be so boring, I think I'd die! Erm, again._

_I might have become an atheist, if it weren't for one thing: souls. Where the hell do we go? Not our bodies, but us. Our dreams and passions and hopes and lives and us. The very essence of our being, that never dies? We have to go somewhere, right?_

_Besides these theories, we have some other equally fascinating ideas. I won't go into detail about those because I don't know much about them. Though I ponder about death, I'm not the kind of person who pulls up Google and searches them up. I find it more interesting to just lie down and stare at clouds and let my heart think and teach me. In the end, though, I'm back with an I-don't-know answer. Because I don't know. No one does._

_My life, to be fair, was never hard. Sure, I wasn't the best student. I was a horrible athlete, and a social mess. Sure, I didn't always get along with my mom. But my worries – real worries – were virtually nonexistent, unless you count that day I saw the most beautiful dress (Chanel) and my mom refused to buy it for me. It was only, like, eight hundred and fifty three dollars! That's nothing, really! Honestly, some people..._

_Ahem._

_I was just a teen who thought a lot and had big dreams and wanted something more. I'm sure lots of teens want that. Right? I wasn't anything special._

_But then I died._

_It really wasn't glamorous or sexy or heroic. It was actually clumsy and awkward and un-noble. A bit embarrassing, if I look back at it. I could have prevented it. I didn't even die for a noble cause. I just ... died._

_The funny thing about death is that it happens all the time. Twenty-four/seven. A person dies every second, is that not the statistic? And we brush it off as nothing, a simple casualty. "Aw," we sigh. "I hope they rest in peace." A week later, we'll probably forget their name. We go on with our lives. Not that we can be blamed. We're just too used to it._

_When it happens to someone we know, we stop. Because then – _then_ – death demands to be felt. The life ended was more than a name, an article, a news story, a momentary frown or pout or prayer. Then, the person is a passion, a personality, an extraordinarily unique person who is so much more than we will ever know._

_When one dies themselves, we may expect the feeling of death to be strong enough to push us over the edge, and let our bones turn to dust and our hearts to sand. But when I died, I felt almost calm. Of course, the moment before actually dying is full of panic and fear, purer and rawer than anything. Because that's when your heart races and your brain scrambles and all you can do is think, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. And then you think of all those theories and you panic because what if I did something wrong? It's a moment of confusion and panic. And regret. Before you die, things catch up to you, things you wish you could forget._

_Death is a tangle of feeling._

_What happened after death, however, if the real story here. The real jaw-dropper. A tale that will make you laugh and a cry or maybe even just stare and snort and shake your head in disbelief. I doubt you'll believe me. Hell, I barely believe me (good luck figuring out how that works)!_

_But I will say it now: this story is true. One hundred percent recounts of occurred events, albeit insane and amazing events._

_Keep in mind that these are also scary events. Painful. Horrible, at times. Events that made me want to cry and scream and hit things and scream until I fell asleep._

_Everything – adventure included – comes at a price. You cannot gain without giving something of equal value. Equivalent exchange. An alchemist taught me this, and I regret to inform you he is correct. Especially because said alchemist is also very infuriating and arrogant and a pain in the ass and—_

_Okay. I'm sorry. I'm rambling. I do that when I'm nervous, see. Why am I nervous now? Because you, my friend, are reading my story. And stories are personal things. It's like sharing a part of your soul. It's a big deal. And lots of things could happen, should this be found._

_My point, in telling you all this, is that this is a story I wish to share, regardless of possible consequences. Take from it what you will._

_What is my name? Tally Kingston. Female. Wanderer. Ponderer._

_I was fifteen – nearly sixteen – years old when I died._

_This was how it started._

* * *

**this actually, believe it or not, came about quicker than i thought it would. weird, huh? Lia has low expectations for herself. though i do hope i fulfilled yours, dear reader, whatever they may be. :) and i hope you aren't pissed, especially if you're an old reader.**

**and by old, i mean seventy and up.**

**just kidding!**

**by old, i mean those who've read the original version of this story. a version that will probably get taken down before the next chapter of this story will be up (January sixth or so, as i've typed it up already! hurray for responsibility!), unless i get a considerable amount of people begging for it to stay up. which is doubtful. :3**

**however, i do hope you guys like the new version! i've worked hard on it. and it was fun, though a long process. writing is always fun! :D**

**so. in all honestly, this rewrite isn't _too _different from the original. we still have Tally, Justin, Darcy, Maddie. though Tally's mom has changed up, and we have a bit more insight into some of the characters. plus, it starts out differently.**

**the title is different. i hope no one's pissed about this. that would be nice. and to anyone wondering, yes, i was inspired by the Thirty Seconds to Mars song. DEAL WITH IT, OKAY? *hides***

**and as i don't have much more to say, i should be on my merry way. ^_^ **

**le sexy rhyme. hehehe.**

**ahem.**

**so! enjoy, my friends, enjoy! please review, because reviews make me happy. **

**happy reading!**


	2. An Unexpected Day

_**To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.**_

_**~Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)**_

* * *

During the November of 2010, the city of Winevra was in a haze of pre-snow frost and crackling leaves. The air smelt of clean and fresh, and there was a wind, cold enough for sweaters and sweatpants, but not yet the hot-chocolate-and-fireplace level.

Inside their suburban houses, most were either dozing in warm beds or enjoying a light brunch. Some were studying for Monday tests and quizzes or getting ready for shopping trips and soccer games.

In 91 Trovert Drive, the house was generally empty. It had a faint scent to it, like spices. And upstairs, in the largest bedroom, Aliah Kingston was currently transitioning from dreamland into reality. She sat up slowly, let out a little yawn and blinked sleepily around her room. The early morning light streamed through the cracked curtains and onto her wall, as if urging her to get up.

So she did, though it took a bit of effort, as it always does. But she managed to do so, grabbing her black, knitted robe. She pulled it tightly around her as she made her way into the hallway.

However, she noticed a peculiar sight in one of the smaller bedrooms: her daughter was not there. Or, rather, she was not sleeping, which was very odd behavior for her. The bedroom was actually uncharacteristically empty. Aliah leaned against the door-frame and sighed at the clothes, pens and hairpins that littered the bedroom floor. And books, lots of books, from comics to Sherlock Holmes to fantasy. No corner of the room lay untouched by literary works. Up on the walls, there were doodles and pictures taped, despite the many times she had told her daughter that drawing was a waste of time.

"Idiot girl..." Aliah muttered, leaning down to toss a yellow sock back into its closet home. Perhaps if she had been more awake, she would have cleaned the entire room. But it was early – for her – and the thought of picking up so many goddamn books felt nearly frightening. So she simply sighed once more before making her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

If she had been more aware, maybe she would had a mild meltdown on discovering her daughter's absence on the lower floor, as well. She was a worrying kind of mother, the type that needed to know where her fifteen year old was at all times. But, as she was still half-asleep, she only lazily walked to the stove to make her tea.

On the tea kettle, a large blue post-it note was plastered. Aliah narrowed her eyes slightly and peeled it off, trying to make sense of the messy scrawl it contained.

_Hey, mum! Aha! I knew you'd find this thing! I'm psychic, see. Anyway, I just want to let you know not to call the police, as I'm aliiiive! I'm only being held hostage by the Italian mafia, so if you could give me a million dollars, that'd be great._

_ JUST KIDDING! Got ya there, didn't I?_

_ Basically, I'm at Isabelle's house. You know, my friend Isabelle? I told you I'd be helping her mother out today, so I decided to come early because I'm awesome. I didn't wake you up because, as aforementioned, I'm awesome. So don't freak out! I'll be going to Maddie's to do some studying afterwards for our history test on Monday. It's a really big test, so I'll be back by around eight or nine or so. Maddie's mum will drop me off, so all is well. Call me on Sebastian if you need anything._

_ Au revoir! Goodbye! Salaam! _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Tally_

Aliah gave a little groan. Had her daughter mentioned Isabelle? Yes. Had she been paying attention? Not really. At least Tally had the decency to leave a note, so that she wouldn't have called the police.

Ah.

The mother shook her head a little bit; teenagers were always running off _somewhere._ "Silly girl," she murmured in Arabic as she pulled her wavy black hair back into a ponytail. She stuck the post-it on the counter. It stared up at her.

"That girl needs to let me know these things better. She would forget her own head if it wasn't attached to her neck. Thank God for that..."

And she began to make her tea.

* * *

The teenager trudged up the basement staircase and found Isabelle in the living room. She hadn't lied, exactly, to her mother. Her neighbor, Natasha, _did _have a daughter named Isabelle, and Tally _had _helped Natasha today with some moving of items in the basement (though she hadn't reached her house at the exact time she claimed, since she was really out window shopping and drinking coffee). But she and Isabelle weren't really friends, probably because Isabelle was the kind of girl who liked to do algebra problems in her spare time and complete extra credit science PowerPoints. Not that they hated each other. They just weren't ... _friends._

Today, though, she was at the front door when Isabelle called out, "I can help you with your homework, if you want." They were in a few of the same classes at school.

"Thanks," Tally said. "But I'm good." She tried not to sound too cold, despite her annoyed mood. Chores never put her in a good mood. But it was necessary, as an alibi.

"Really? 'Cause Miss Norton says you've got to get better in science, or you'll be in trouble."

The brunette pursed her lips. "I know," she said. "Oh, and Mr. Montgomery also said you had to rewrite your poetry assignment." She raised her eyebrows at the game that currently flashed on Isabelle's computer. "Have you finished that?"

"Not really. But I don't really care. Poetry is so boring. I really liked our old teacher, you know, Mrs Orde? She got us to write essays, not _stories. _They made more sense."

Tally tightened her fists and tried not to punch the girl in front of her. "Yeah," she said dryly. "God forbid we do things requiring skill."

"I'm just saying, you should really spend more time working and less time playing and-"

"Oh?" Tally's eyes widened dramatically, and she cupped her ear and opened the front door. "Mom, is that you?!" she yelled, making sure Isabelle could hear her every word. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't hear you! What? You want me to come and clean the house? I don't know, Mom. I'm having the most _fascinating _conversation with Isabelle ... oh, alright, I suppose I'll come! Cleaning the house from top to bottom does sound fun!" She turned to Isabelle and waved. "Buh-bye!"

And she was off, ignoring the expression on Isabelle's face, the expression of a girl who was just told that cleaning an entire house was more fun than talking to her.

_Today is _so _not my day... _Tally thought dryly as the door swung closed behind her.

* * *

Tally was halfway home when she was considering going back to her dance teacher's house and apologizing. She knew Isabelle wasn't the kind of girl who was too affected by insults (as she got many of them at school) and she definitely wouldn't cry or tell her mother. But still, perhaps she _had _overreacted. Then again, it was Isabelle's fault for taunting her. She _knew _Tally hated to be considered invalid. So why would she insult her?

_Perhaps, _said the horrid little voice in Tally's head. _Perhaps she was trying to help you do better in school. Just a thought. _

"Shut up," Tally mumbled. "Dumb voice." Nope, today was definitely not her day. She just wanted to go home and read the new novel she had bought. But, alas, what didn't kill one made one stronger. So she grit her teeth and held her head high.

_I'm just saying, you were kind of a bitch to her. _

"I was not! Go suck a dick!"

_No thanks, love. But you're being one. _

"No, I'm not! Stop being so mean! I—"

"Who're you talking to?"

"Eeeeeeeek!" Tally jumped and whipped around, fists raised. "Get away from me! I—" She paused, and noticed her 'attacker'. "Justin?"

Justin grinned, stuffing two hands into his jeans pockets. "Hey there, Tallinator. Who're you talking to?"

"No one. Uh, nice shoes! Gucci?" She gestured to this rugged sneakers, and inwardly cringed at the horrible change in topic. Gucci would probably die at the sight of those.

Justin obviously thought so, too, as he raised an eyebrow and pointed the toe. "Wal-Mart's finest," he said, before smirking.

Tally turned red. "Shut up. It's hard to tell in this light."

"The light's fine."

"Shut up!"

Tally and Justin had been best friends since grade seven, where they had been paired up for a project together, and had been inseparable ever since. They quickly bonded over their sense of humors and hatred for math and sports.

Justin had the kind of looks Tally would have died for, with a creamy complexion, curly brown hair and high cheekbones. She probably would have developed a crush on him a long time ago, if he hadn't told her – and only her – he didn't play for her team, so to speak.

"You seem off today. Everything okay?"

_Besides the fact that I'm a horrible person? _"Yeah, I'm just dandy."

"Big words."

"That's not even a big word!" Tally said, frustrated. "It's just weird and vaguely British. Sheesh."

"Woah," Justin said, trying not to smile. "Someone's angry. Has Aunt Flo come for a visit from the Red Sea?"

Tally turned even redder. "No! Of course not! You're just a ... Ugh. I'm not talking to you." She walked quicker and went up ahead, leaving him behind.

Justin ran to catch up. "Hey, don't be that way!" he said, pouting. When he received no response, he sighed. "Come on, Tal, please?" No response. "Are you really going to let our friendship disappear over some petty fun?" This time, he did get a response, though a middle finger was not what he had in mind. Finally, he heaved a deep sigh. "I guess I got those two-for-one Burger Queen coupons in the mail for nothing..."

Tally nearly tackled him, eyes wide with excitement. "Burger Queen?!" she squealed. "Oh, thank the Lord Alexander McQueen! I'm starving! And mum's not expecting me home 'till eight or nine. This is perfect!"

Justin raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," he said firmly. "I only give my coupons to friends who talk to me."

"_Oh, Justin, s'il vous plait! J'aime Queen de la Burger avec tout mon cœur et_-"

"Alright, alright!" Her friend shrieked. "Just quit it with the language of Satan!"

Tally looked offended. "It is my duty to my people to educate you, _dans le langue de l'amour_!" She quoted her words with a delicate sweep of her arms. "The language of love! The language of my people!"

"You mean your partial people?"

"Nope!"

"Remind me, again, why that is? It's still confusing."

Tally sighed. "Genetics project; realized some of my ancestors were French. And besides, it's the culture I'm most attached to. So, technically, I am a French girl."

Justin rolled his eyes. "I will never understand your obsession with these weird things. French, especially. And fashion." He eyed her clothes with a mischievous look in his eyes. "By the way, your dress is really last season."

"What?" Tally's eyes widened fearfully. "That's not true! I got it at Blarney's! They wouldn't sell something out of style! Besides, I like it." Noticing Justin's still-skeptic expression, she gritted her teeth and went on, rambling. "Plus, the green is awesome, the belt has a smooth buckle and the boots are Ralph Lauren! And—"

She stopped when she noticed her friend's laughing face.

"What?" she asked. When she got no response, she huffed and tugged on his hoodie. _"What?"_

"It's just ... you get offended so easily, it's hilarious!" He switched his tone to that of a pre-pubescent female. "'_Oh, my poor pwetty wittle dress! It isn't designer, what a horrid thing! I should be sentenced to death!'"_

"I don't do that!"

"I beg to differ."

"Argh!" Tally threw her hands up in the air, agitated. "I'm not talking to you again!" She raced ahead of him.

"Oh, come on, Tally, don't be like that!"

"Motherfucker!"

"Shhh!" he hissed, glancing around. "There could be little children here, whose minds you're polluting!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Tally, quit it! We'll get in trouble!"

"I won't stop 'till you stop making fun of me and we can go to Burger Queen."

"That's not fair!"

"FUUUUUUU—"

"For Pete's sake ... okay, okay! Just cut it out, will you? We'll go to Burger Queen and I won't make fun of you!"

Tally smirked and whipped around, looking at him expectantly. "Okay. So where's your car?"

He raised an eyebrow and pointed down the street, where she noticed a tiny, tiny, tiny gray speck. "Over there, where we just were, oh, half an hour ago!"

The brunette's jaw fell. "You made me walk all the way here for nothing?!"

"Hey, we could have spared all this if you had stopped blabbing long enough to listen to—"

"UH, UH, UH! No insults!" She gave him a pointed look. Then, she broke off and glanced at the car, sighing as she did so. "Come on, then. We've got a long walk ahead of us..."

* * *

Burger Queen was hidden in a plaza of larger stores; it contained a jukebox, a children's play area, and cheesy, checkered, black and white tablecloths. The food was decent and, more importantly, possibly health damaging.

Tally loved it there.

She wasn't sure what she liked about it. But she had grown up in it, making visits with her mom as a kid, and munching on French fries and chicken nuggets. Over time, she had grown up to appreciate the chocolate milkshakes, fro-yos and ice cream a bit more than the fries and burgers. Not to say she didn't eat the grease factories. She was just more of a chocolate girl.

Burger Queen was a favorite amongst the students of Albert Einstein High School, so it was no surprise when she noticed some familiar faces in the seats, talking, laughing, doing general teenager-things. Though she ignored them – not being one to socialize – and ordered her usual: chocolate ice cream with crushed peanuts and marshmallows.

"TALLY!"

The brunette squeaked as she was nearly tackled, right before she had a chance to settle into her seat. Justin watched with an amused expression as she pushed off her second best friend – Maddie, who she had known since elementary school. She was, as usual, dressed like it was her last day on Earth, a day she had a lot of money to spend on: a sparkly silver dress, silver bow-headband in her blonde hair, and knee high suede boots. She plonked down right next to Tally, a salad in front of her.

"I knew I'd find you here!" she said excitedly. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Where _were _you?"

Tally opened her mouth but Justin beat her to it. "She was doing chores for the creepy Russian lady on her street."

The brunette rolled her eyes, punching her friend. "Natasha's not creepy. And she's Ukrainian," she told Maddie, who looked confused at the thought of someone in Winevra she didn't know.

"Oh." The other girl's face cleared, and she smiled at Justin. "Cool sweater, by the way. Anyway, what're you guys doing here?"

Tally scooped some chocolate ice cream into her mouth. "We're here to pray," she said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha." Maddie punched her playfully. "Very funny. But, no, seriously, what're you here for?"

"Food. What else?" Justin raised an eyebrow. Maddie was known for being a virtual airhead at nearly everything, from science to art to catching on things.

Said girl wrinkled her button nose. "But everything here's so fattening!" She pointed at Justin's vanilla ice cream cone with distaste. "That's, like, a thousand calories!"

"Worth it," he said firmly as he licked his cone, like he had made his decision. "Besides, it tastes like something. Unlike that." He nudged his chin in the direction of her salad, which consisted of mostly lettuce.

"Salad is delicious," Maddie proclaimed. "Plus, it keeps me thin."

"It tastes like rabbit food!" Tally protested, for all that was tasty.

"_Low fat_ rabbit food. Besides, you're saving baby animals like this! You guys should go vegetarian, too!"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "How about never?" she suggested.

"But you can save puppies and kittens!"

"Oh, come off it," Justin groaned. "If you really cared about animals, you should know your boots once walked around and mooed."

"And peed milk," Tally added helpfully.

"Hey!" Justin waved his arms in protest. "Eating here!"

Tally and Maddie burst into simultaneous giggles. Their male friend simply rolled his eyes and muttered, "Girls..."

Suddenly, Maddie straightened and folded her hands. She looked at her friends seriously. "Now, to business. I have an important proposition to ask of you both."

"Big word," Tally mused.

"Oh, shut up." The blonde shot her a look and then cleared her throat. "There's a party at Nelly's tonight."

Nelly (no one really knew her last name...) was a party animal. Her parents had a huge house, and spent most of their days traveling. They were also under the impression that their daughter was sweet, honest, and responsible. Where they got this idea, no one really knew, but it caused them to leave their mansion alone to Nelly for many days at a time. Nelly, whose weekly parties consisted of drugs, alcohol, and dark corners reserved for makeout sessions. A scene Tally wouldn't be caught dead in.

"So?" she asked, stirring her ice cream with vicious strokes.

"_So,_" Maddie leaned forward over the table, eyebrows raised meaningfully. "I was thinking, you know, we could go."

"I'll go," Justin spoke up, surprising both Maddie _and _Tally.

"You will?" Tally asked, coughing.

"Well, why not? I mean, it sounds like fun."

"Oh, sure," she snorted. "Getting high and drunk. What a blast!"

"Come on, Tallinator! We've never even gone to one of these parties before. How will we know if they suck or not if we've never gone to one?"

"Because I know everything," she told him, putting a serious tone under the joking blanket. "Besides, I thought you hated all those popular people. They go to those parties, you know, and they're mean and dumb and ... and..."

"Oh, they're not so bad!" Maddie cut in. Tally glared at her, but she ignored it and went on, "Colin Grant is nice, and really smart. And he can fit eight hot dogs in his mouth at once!"

Though Tally could not deny the impressiveness of this act, she was also not a party person. She preferred parties where one could dance – _really _dance, and not just grind and shimmy – instead of parties where one could get high and be found passed out in the bathtub/neighbor's pool the next day. She'd much rather read or sleep or watch Disney movies.

"I'm in," Justin said automatically. Figures. He had had a crush on Colin for years.

_Traitor, _she mouthed at him. He stuck his tongue out back.

"Great!" Maddie smiled at him. "Bring any alcohol you have; Nelly's been running out, I heard. We take music requests, too!"

"Well, you guys have fun," Tally said with a tight smile. "I'll be at home."

"What?" Justin's eyes widened. "You're not coming?"

"That was the whole point of our previous argument, yes."

"You should come," Maddie said. "It's fun! And besides, what's wrong with breaking rules?"

Tally rolled her eyes at this. She was not, in any way, one to follow rules. In fact, she loved breaking rules! The high, the adrenaline rush one gained from rebellion ... it was intoxicating. She skipped classes, handed in assignments late (or not at all), and disobeyed her mother's strict rules on a daily basis. She was no stranger to rule breaking.

However, she was also not stupid. She knew that, as soon as she came home, her mother would instantly smell the alcohol on her. And then, she'd be lucky if she wasn't whisked away to a convent.

"My mom will smell the alcohol on me," she said honestly. "And the drugs. I'll be doomed. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Oh, that's not a problem!" Maddie said quickly. "My parents are out, so you two can come to my house and shower before leaving."

"She'll notice the wet hair and become suspicious," Tally protested weakly. She would really rather watch _The Little Mermaid _at home, with some nice popcorn and hot chocolate ... it _was _cold, wasn't it? Too cold for ice cream. She frowned, looking down at her dessert. _Stupid cravings. _

"I have a hair dryer."

"..."

She began to think about this. It was possible, wasn't it? To go to this party and come back in one piece. Her mother wouldn't – couldn't – notice the smell on her, because she'd come back smelling like shower gel and shampoo. And her hair would be dry, she wouldn't drink, she'd still have her clothes...

Her clothes!

"She'll smell my clothes," Tally said with a smug smile. "A shame."

"Hey, but you can change!" Maddie insisted. "You said you left before she woke up; how will she know what you wore?"

"Um ... She'll recognize the foreign clothing?"

"Don't be crazy; you let me borrow that sweater I have yet to return, and jeans all look the same. And we're, like, the same size."

"...Damnit..."

"Please, Tally!" Justin gave her The Look. The Look consisted of wide, puppy-dog eyes, a pouting mouth, and a whimpering sound that snuck up his throat and threatened to float out of his mouth...

"Alright, alright!" The brunette shrieked, looking away before she slapped him for being too cute. "I'll go. Jesus..."

"Yay!" Maddie reached across and gave Tally a quick hug, nearly knocking over her ice cream in the process. "That's awesome! I'll see you there, okay?" She winked and was off in a flash, walking briskly in the direction of a few sophomores sitting and talking and laughing together.

Tally's eye twitched and she gave Justin an annoyed look. "Why can't we just sleep and watch _Beauty and the Beast_ together?"

"For someone who hates clichés, you're awfully attached to that movie."

"It's not cliché!" Tally was quick to defend her favorite love story. "You want cliché?" She morphed her expression into that of an expressionless teenager and stood up. "'_Oh, Edward. The way you sparkle in the sunlight is just gorgeous and amazing and oh my gawd, you just give me such a lady boner!_'"

"Tally!" Justin hissed, glancing around at the weird – and amused – looks they were receiving.

"Take back what you said about _Beauty and the Beast._"

"I'm allowed to have my own opinion!"

"'_And sometimes, Edward, I dream that maybe – just maybe – your dick is larger than three inches and that your hair doesn't come from a bottle!_"'

"Okay, okay, _Beauty and the Beast _is amazing! Long live Disney!" When Tally gave a gruff nod and sat down, he sighed and shook his head. "Does it require effort, trying to torture me? Or does it come naturally?"

Tally grinned. "As natural as my hair today," she said, finger a curly lock. "No time to straighten."

"...Sometimes, you disturb me."

"Good."

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, occasionally pulling crazy faces at each other and laughing as they devoured their ice creams. Tally was always grateful to have a friend like Justin: a person who would be her best friend, even if they lived millions of miles apart. They had even kept up their friendship when Tally's mom moved to Jordan with her for four months and took Tally with her, the summer before her freshman year. She had been right miserable during that time, before her mother had brought her back, and she ranted to Justin all the time during those months, about her mother's betrayal and her sadness and anything and everything. And he listened.

She was about to open her mouth to say something – something – but then they heard the door chime open and a group of girls giggling on their way inside. These girls were all very pretty, and they all had styled hair and designer clothing. In the middle of them was a shorter girl, with bright red hair and pale skin. Sunglasses sat perched on her head, and she giggled and tossed her hair along with her friends as she sashayed in and up to the counter.

"Oh, no..." Tally heard Justin mumble.

And 'Oh, no' was correct. Darcy Robertson, the most popular girl in school, daughter of the richest family in Winevra, and all around bitch. Not to mention, she enjoyed teasing everyone about everything she disapproved of, from studying too much for tests, to wearing clothes from Wal-Mart.

Tally rolled her eyes and turned her back to them. She had despised Darcy Robertson with every fiber of her being, ever since the redhead had stolen one of her story notebooks and had made fun of her for weeks about some of her works-in-progress, always sending lines and memorable scenes her way. Because anyone that disrespected her writing was instantly an enemy.

"Ignore her," she told Justin firmly, trying her own best to take no note of Darcy and her entourage as they giggle-ordered their low-fat frozen yogurts. "Ignore her and maybe she'll get the hint and shove a tuba up her ass."

"Le ouch," Justin said with a small smile.

Tally squealed excitedly. "Yay! You're using French terms! _C'est fantastique_!"

"Shut up, Tally, shut up right now. You know how I feel about French."

The brunette scoffed and tossed a stray _French_ fry at him that had been lying on the seat next to her since they had arrived. It fell into the last dollop of ice cream in his cup, and he squealed before quickly fishing it out and throwing it onto the floor. "Yuck!"

Tally burst out laughing, pleased to see the annoyed expression on his face. "Bwahahahahaha! You look hilarious!"

Justin scowled. "You tainted my ice cream!"

"An accident, _ma cherie_, an accident."

"Sure it was. I-"

"Hey, Justin."

The two friends paused from their playful banter to stare at the intruder. And there stood the redheaded menace in all her glory, wearing a sequined gold dress that must have been _freezing _and lots of heavy jewelry. Her friends all stood behind her and tittered, obviously relishing what would come next. _Mindless buffoons, _Tally thought, sending them a sharp look.

"Hi," Justin said awkwardly, kicking Tally from underneath the table and sending her an urgent glance. They had always been able to have conversations using only their eyes and facial expressions, and the message he was sending right now was obviously, _Help. _Darcy had never made it a secret she liked Justin. And since the object of her affections wasn't ready to announce his true sexuality (thus deeming him un-dateable) she had always gone out of her way to make it known she _was _available and ready for him.

"I like your sweater," Darcy continued, smiling. Tally glanced at the stained hoodie and nearly burst out laughing.

"Thanks. I, um, like your shoes." He nodded at the nine inch torture devices on her feet and she beamed, doing a little twirl for him.

"They're designer."

"Cool..."

"So, that science assignment really sucked, huh?"

"It wasn't so bad."

"It was totally easy!" she said quickly, rolling her eyes. "But, like, Bethany wouldn't do any of the work, 'cause she barely knows what a cell is!" She laughed, and so did her cronies, looking at a certain mousy girl in their group, obviously Bethany, who forced a giggle.

"How tragic," Tally said sarcastically. Darcy broke off a moment to send her a glare before regaining her composure.

"I was wondering if you'd like to ask Mr. Cunningham to switch lab partners. I heard you're _really _good at science," she cooed.

"No thanks," he said immediately, and turned back to his ice cream, finishing it off. Go figure. His lab partner was Colin, the object of his affections.

"But, like, isn't Colin super dumb at science?" she giggled, and Justin immediately narrowed his eyes. Tally smirked. _Now some shit's about to go down..._

"He's learning a lot," he said coldly. "And he's getting better."

"Well, that's awesome. See? You're an amazing teacher, too." Her slaves nodded with her.

And before Justin could open his mouth to say anything else, Tally cut in: "Hey, Darcy, I think I hear the local strip club calling. They want their outfit back." She wasn't one to slut-shame, but with Darcy, she made an exception.

Darcy's green eyes narrowed to slits. "Shut up. You can go fuck yourself."

"Oooh! Damn, that really hurt. Better get some ice for that burn."

"Like you can talk, _Berry Sweet_." She smirked, and Tally stiffened. At the beginning of eighth grade, Darcy had spread the rumor that Tally had lost her virginity for a strawberry milkshake, and she had been teased for two months. Though it had died down now, Darcy still liked mentioning it for her own amusement. And it still pissed off never-been-kissed Tally, who didn't even like strawberry milkshakes.

And before she could even open her mouth (and throw back her fist), Justin stood up immediately, his mouth set in a straight line. "I don't appreciate you talking to my friend like that." He surprised both Tally _and _Darcy.

The latter's smile disappeared. "I was just—"

"Being a bully," he finished for her. "And I don't like bullies. Sorry, but we've got somewhere to be." He turned to his shocked friend and held out his hand, giving a little wink. "Ready to go?"

The brunette recovered quickly and nodded, smiling. "Letsa go!" she exclaimed in her best Mario-accent, and the two laughed and got up, walking to the door, Tally making sure to nudge Darcy extra hard with her shoulder on her way out.

* * *

"Did you _see _her face?!"

"She looked like she was going to poop a hundred badgers!"

"Or cry needles."

In Justin's old Hummer (though he technically wasn't supposed to be driving it yet...), he and Tally were driving along to Nelly's party, taking the time to, once more, talk over their little moment with Darcy. Even while Tally had dragged him though the shopping mall, he spoke of the event with as equal fervor as her, and they still weren't tired of it, hours later. Perhaps it was because they had never really called her out like that; they preferred to glare or mutter insults from afar. This was like a new victory.

And they adored it.

"I wonder what would happen if I had punched her instead..." Tally mused.

"_Ladies don't fight!" _Justin scolded in his best Mrs. Kingston accent. "_They sit and cook_."

Tally stuck her tongue out. "The sad part is that you got her spot on. Minus the not-fighting thing. Mom would get me to throw turnips at her or something."

"A true warrior." Justin gave a solemn nod.

"Indeed."

"So she hasn't laid off on you, I assume?"

"Her newest plan is to get me into honors math." Tally rolled her eyes. "Apparently, me still going to church as an agnostic isn't enough torture for her."

"A secret agnostic," Justin corrected.

"Well, that could change, if she let it. But, noooo! She has to be all close-minded." Tally let out a frustrated sigh and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I wish I had parents like yours." Justin's parents were Jewish, but had completely accepted Justin's un-decidedness on religion.

"Yeah, well, they're still squeamish around gays. No one's perfect."

"Yeah ... sorry 'bout that."

"S'okay. It's not your fault."

Tally suddenly lifted her head up, a fierce look in her eyes. "I know I go on about never wanting kids. But if I do get them one day, please slap me if I ever end up a homophobic, bigoted, close-minded mother."

Justin sighed. "What am I, your rock? You want me to slap you every time you do something wrong." He looked at her and smirked. "You'll be pretty bruised by the time I'll be done."

"Not _every time._"

"You want me to slap you when you stop believing in Santa Claus and fairy tales, when you become a bigoted mother, when you go on an all-salad diet, and when you start wearing leopard print."

"Pfft. Like I'll ever do any of that."

"I hope not. Especially the leopard print. I'll have to disown you."

"I shudder in fear."

"Rightly so."

After a moment of silence, Tally began fidgeting with one of the loose threads on her dress. "Though, to answer your question, you _are _my rock."

He sniffed and wiped away a fake tear. "And you are my stone."

* * *

Nelly's house was big, yes. A mansion, really, probably the second largest house in all of Winevra (after Darcy Robertson's) and definitely the fanciest. For a family that was never around, they certainly kept their house in good shape. Tally took note of this as she walked in, a headache already threatening to spur at the pounding beat, a Justin Timberlake song she couldn't remember the name of. Justin looked equally as uncomfortable as her in this new environment, but he had a determined look on his face, a look that said he wasn't leaving until he experienced party life at least once.

She really hated that look.

"Split up?" she whispered, and he nodded, giving her a final glance before disappearing into the crowd.

And so she was alone. She would have liked to take a sentimental, quiet moment to think about this, but Bryson Adams was chugging a beer, and, since he was already drunk beyond drunk, he looked like he was about to throw up on the nearest available person: her.

So she ducked and went off, trying to ignore the retching sounds behind her and the squeal of Lacey Deliango. She immediately regretted coming, cursing herself for not trusting her instincts. However, she made no definite decisions, instead deciding to try and 'mingle'. She had always hated socializing, but it was never too late to start, right? There was a crowd gathered around a keg, so she walked over and pretended to be looking for something to drink.

"Hey!" She was greeted and nearly glomped by a drunk Maddie. "Ishn't this amaziiiiing?"

"Totally," Tally said, the sarcasm in her tone blatant. "So, uh, what do you do at these kinds of parties?"

"Everyone!" she giggled.

"Um. That's not what I meant but okay."

"Looshen up, girlfriend! Make out with a hot guy! I sthink Fernando was looking for youuuu..."

"I'm good, thanks," she muttered. Fernando was a guy in her art class (the only other person that managed to get above a B+ in the class, along with her). He was also a smart kid, and one who preferred to stay home and work on schoolwork than come out and party. Her mother liked Fernando.

Tally was interrupted by her thoughts with a snide, "Well, look at what the catfish dragged in."

The brunette turned to the speaker, eyes wide. And her eyes widened even _more _when she noticed the speaker: Darcy.

"Did you ... did you..." she sputtered, shocked. "Did you just use a _Little Mermaid _quote?"

The redhead looked decidedly uncomfortable, especially when someone whispered behind her (especially at Tally's loud tone). Then, she was back to her usual disgusted look, a gaze she saved for everyone besides her friends, teachers and crushes. This time, rage was added to the mix. "What are you, three years old?"

Tally stiffened. She hated being called childish, even if there was ample evidence to the fact. What did it matter, that she had a bigger imagination and creative span than the rest of her peers? That wasn't her fault, was it? Instead of responding, she simply sent the girl the dirtiest look she could muster, and pushed past her.

But Darcy wasn't through yet. She obviously wanted to punish her, in a way, for the earlier incident at Burger Queen's. Because no one crossed Darcy Robertson and got away with it. And now, her crush wasn't around to judge her with an opinion she cared about.

"By the way, I have a new boyfriend," the ginger-haired girl called out, cutting in front of Tally and smirking.

"How amazing for you," the brunette deadpanned. "Your hundredth customer, I assume? Why not reward him with a free blowjob?" And when Darcy's eyes narrowed dangerously, she knew she had crossed the line.

It felt awesome.

"His name's Dylan," Darcy drawled on, observing her fingernails in a I'm-going-to-enjoy-watching-you-perish-but-pretend-I-don't-care kind of way.

Dylan? She couldn't mean Dylan Peters, could she? Because that was just low. Dylan – blonde haired, sporty, and sweet, unlike most of the other stereotypical jocks – was Tally's long-time crush. A crush that she was sure might have liked her back.

Apparently not.

But she wasn't going to admit any of this to Darcy, so she replied, "Great. Congrat-"

"Oh, Dylan!" Darcy interrupted, waving to someone behind Tally. In a flash, he was beside her, his smile carving dimples into his cheeks and a cupid's arrow into Tally's heart. The brunette watched in awe and envy and Darcy stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips.

Once they broke away (Tally didn't look; she just stared at the ground, shaking with anger), Dylan offered Tally a smile. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," she breathed back, heart hammering, in spite of what she had just seen.

"Cool party, eh?"

"It's okay," Tally said with a shrug. "I'm not used to parties."

"Neither am I. Trying to get my grades up, y'know? My mom threatened to take away my PS3 if I didn't, and I'm addicted to that thing."

With each word, Tally seemed to fall harder. Great! Perhaps her mom would be more lenient about this relationship, should it ever happened. At least she'd have Dylan's mother to talk to about grades and their kids' non-academic interests.

"Me and Dylan are dating," Darcy announced, as if this was news to either of them.

"Dylan and I," Tally mumble-corrected, and the blonde boy laughed. Tally smiled back shyly. Darcy looked furious. It seemed she was surrounded by those who – gasp – didn't worship her today.

"So, Dylan, get me some punch, will you? Is it any good?" Darcy said, her voice tight.

"There's no punch." He blinked, looking confused. "Only beer and vodka. And some rum. But I've never had that before. Sounds too pirate-y, you know?"

"Arrr!" Tally joked, and Dylan laughed again. _Like an angel singing, _she thought happily.

"Well, get me some vodka, then," Darcy barked. "Strong." Her boyfriend nodded, gave Tally one last smile, and disappeared into the crowd, his orders given.

Darcy gave Tally one last scathing look before stomping away herself.

And so Tally was alone. Once again. She glanced around – people dancing/grinding, drinking, making out. Half naked teenagers pressed up against walls. Music so obnoxiously loud that she wished she could just...

Disappear.

Perfect.

* * *

Walking outside was like a breath of fresh air. As soon as the door closed shut behind her, the noise and the smell of sweat and alcohol welled up and vacuumed out, leaving nothing but clean, cold air. It was snowing, soft sparkles spiraling downwards and gathering up under her feet. She wished Justin was out, or even Maddie. She wanted to have a snowball fight, or sit in the snow and stare at the sky and talk. _The first snow, and I'm alone._

Instead, she walked to the curb, sat down, and took out her phone. _7:46 P.M, _the time flashed up at her, and she grimaced, hoping her friends would come out soon so she could shower and go home. She was tired and beyond, ready to call it a night and hit the sack. While waiting, she drew little patterns in the snow beside her. A flower. A smiley face. A snowflake. If it hadn't been snowing, she'd have gone back inside. But it was, and snow was one of the best things in the world, so she just sat and fiddled with her phone, Sebastian, sending a silent thanks to Jack Frost (because that was what she did).

_Slam! _

The girl jumped, biting back a squeak, as she looked behind her at the sudden noise. A door had slammed, the door to Nelly's house. And obviously, someone had done it. That someone was taking angry steps down the porch steps and onto the driveway, snow crunching under her shoes, sputtering curses under her breath all the way. And, of course, who else could it be? Darcy Robertson.

_Of course,_ Tally thought bitterly. _Out of all the human beings in the world, you have to pick her?! Again?!_

_ Well, all the human beings aren't at this party, _The Voice told her._ Or this neighborhood. Or this country. Or this-_

_ I get it! _

_ You should listen to me more often. I'm smart._

_ Guess who doesn't-_

"Out of my way."

Tally glanced up, not at all surprised to see the angry redhead looking down at her. "No," she said calmly. "You can just step around me."

"I don't care. Get out of my way." She sounded almost desperate. Which was weird, because that wasn't right.

"I don't want to!" Tally yelled. And she stood up, then, looking her opponent right in the eye. "What is your _problem_?"

"Excuse me?" Darcy sneered, all traces of previous desperation gone.

"You're always such a _bitch!_" She had anger, lots of anger, and why not spend it on Darcy, the main source of it? "You boss people around, tear them down, and you suck!"

"Oh, gee, that really hurt, Kingston." Darcy placed a hand on her heart and nodded. "It hurt right here."

"Really? I wasn't aware you had a heart to begin with! Dylan obviously seems to think you don't. And so does Justin, for that matter."

The other girl's eyes flashed dangerously, and Tally knew she had said something she shouldn't have. The girl's whole body tensed up. But she deserved it, right? She was just doing the right thing, putting her in her place and letting her know that not everyone was scared of her.

"Ugh, just get the hell out of my way," Darcy spat. "I don't have time to deal with you. My dad wants me back home to finish my homework up. What, doesn't _your _dad ever do that?" A split second of shocked, shocked silence, and Tally stared.

_No. No, she wouldn't go that far, would she? She couldn't! She-_

"Ooops! Sorry. I almost forgot. You don't have a dad."

Tally stood, stunned. Her hands slowly clenched into small, tight fists.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Darcy smirked. "I'll be honest; I don't blame him. He probably killed himself, not wanting a daughter like _you. _I'd do the same. In fact—"

_Snap. _

And that was the breaking point. All the anger and fury that had been building up in Tally erupted, and she growled, letting it all explode in one, big push. Darcy stumbled back, landing on her butt in the grass. She leaped up immediately with a shriek, snow and mud sticking to her dress.

"You _bitch,_" she snarled, pushing her with renewed fervor. Tally managed to catch her balance and she tackled her enemy to the snow-covered grass.

The two wrestled on the ground, in a pathetic fight. Darcy pulled Tally's hair. Tally punched her, hard. Darcy bit her arm. Tally kicked her shin. And they went on, screaming, kicking, slapping, pulling and biting. Had anyone passed, they'd have laughed or tried to break it up. Because, despite their lack of experience in the combat department, both teenagers looked ready to kill.

Finally, Tally stood up, being careful not to look at her outfit, and spun on her heel, ready to stalk off, break into Maddie's home and just shower before going home. She had had enough today. Worst. Day. Ever. Plus, she was obviously above Darcy, and fighting in general. Especially over something like this.

Though Darcy deserved any hit that she had received, saying something like that. She could just—

And then she felt something push into her, hard, harder than before, and she only had time to turn her head and stare at Darcy's angry face before she was tumbling to the road, landing squarely on her butt, hitting her head on the ground. She sat up, blinking hard, head swimming. _Ow. Ow, ow, ow, _she thought dazedly. Tally only managed to stand up, and she blinked, trying to steady herself. Her head felt heavy and her senses dulled, like she was underwater.

Suddenly, cutting through her hazy thoughts was something loud and shrill. A scream? A screech? No...

A horn. A horn that belonged to a car, though the sound after that was definitely a scream. And Tally looked to her left to see a car skidding towards her, headlights bright, and she stood, staring before _SLAM!_

Something bumped into her, knocking the wind out of her and sending her falling to the ground. And then it was on top of her, pressing on her so that she couldn't move. Her legs burned, her arms throbbed, and her felt like it would explode. And her heart, oh God, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do _anything _but lie there as panic-tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't even scream.

Not that she had to, because she heard plenty of it from around her: her name, swear words, and just one, loud shriek. She heard something open – a car door – and slam shut before, "Shit, someone call 911!" and then crying, and someone sobbing, "Fuck, fuck, I didn't meant to, I swear, it was the ice and snow, the goddamn _snow..._"

And then it hit her: she was being run over. By a car. There was a car on top of her. And she wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh because this was the last way she wanted to die.

Not breathing was doing this to her. It was also making things foggy and heavy, and she blinked thick, sleepy blinks. Her head hurt, but her chest felt like it was burning, white-hot pain running down it, spreading to the other parts of her body. And in one split second, the pain intensified to the point where she did scream, and the tears ran down her cheeks. She had never felt something like this before, something so raw and intense it terrified her. And she couldn't do a thing about it.

And it only that second to be over before everything went dark, and she was enveloped in velvety black.

She was dead.

* * *

**and there you have it, folks! the first chapter! ^_^ i actually liked the way this turned out. weird, huh? it's not perfect, but i like it. ****  
**

**as some of you might be able to tell, this isn't _too _different from the original. the usual thing, only no school for Tally, and a different scenario. plus, we learned more about her mother. but she still died. sorry about that, Tally... ^_^"**

**shout out to Eniverante, whose birthday is today! happy birthday! i hope you're having a good day! and i hope you like this chapter!**

**here are some translations, for those who don't speak French and are curious as to what Tally's saying. keep in mind that i, myself, am no master at French. so if someone here _is _French, and notices a mistake in my translations, feel free to point them out! **

"_Oh, Justin, s'il vous plait! J'aime Queen de la Burger avec tout mon cœur et_-"

**translation: "Oh, Justin, please! I love Burger Queen with all my heart and-"**

_"...dans le langue de l'amour!" _

**translation: "...in the language of love!"**_  
_

_"C'est fantastique!"_**  
**

**translation: "That's fantastic!" **

**erm. i'm pretty sure that's all of them. if i missed any that anyone's curious about, let me know! :3  
**

**now ... time for ... review replies! pfft. you guys didn't actually think i'd get rid of these, did you? ;) hell to the no!  
**

* * *

**Replying to the Sexy Cookies****  
**

**Music Illusion: hmm. short, eh? well, it is a prologue. but ... sorry?**

**hahaha! lucky for me, i think gold is overrated, and i love silver! so thanks. ^_^  
**

**duude. you must name my mistakes, duh. otherwise, i won't know how to approve! D:  
**

**but thank you for your kind words. ^_^ though i do hope you clear up your critiques. they're as confusing as you claim my prologue to be. ;P  
**

**anon: *le smexy Elvis Presley impersonation* thank you, thank you very much. both for your compliments _and _waiting!****  
**

**TheWaffleAlchemist: OH YE WITH LE SMEXY NAME! hehe. i used French. Tally would be proud. :3  
**

**i'm glad my rewrite rose up to your expectations. here's the next chapter! enjoy!  
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**AnimeVamp1997: well, herrow, my dear! :3 thank you, for your kind words! and, yes, you are correct. my skills in the prologue department are mediocre. but death is fun (?) to talk about, since it's such a huge topic. so many perspectives...  
**

**Tally will be, for the most part, similar to her old version. perhaps a bit snarkier. i'm not sure. she seems pretty similar to the first, in my opinion. now, if i i made her a tomboy-biker chick ... that would be awesome, but ... un-Tally-like. xD  
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**i updated soon, i think! :D i hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Eniverante: happy birthday! i hope you like the chapter. erm, sorry if the update is a bit late...? xD  
**

**TaylorRiley17: thank you for the kind words! i really appreciate it! ^_^ and, yes, patience is a virtue. i think. xD nonetheless, enjoy the new chapter!**

**SunshineSketch: *facepalm* oh, you and your ... interesting sense of humor. :P you crack me up, too, girl, so don't worry. ;)  
**

**le squee! i hope you like the chapter! ^_^  
**

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**and that's it, for the Sexy Cookies. :)  
**

**thank you to all those who read, reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. ^_^ you guys all rock!  
**

**you knoooow, reviewing means that you make kittens happy. you wish to make kittens happy, right? i should hope so. :3****  
**

**asdfghjkl *flies off*  
**


	3. I'm WHERE?

If I die young,

Bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song.

~_If I Die Young _(The Band Perry)

* * *

_There is a light, bright, bright, brighter than the sun itself. It was blue-tinted, or perhaps white. She's not sure she can tell. And it surrounds her in a warm blanket, enveloping her in velvet. She snuggles into it, holding it close to her. It is her solace. Her sanctuary._

_ And then it takes two seconds before that's gone as well, and all that remains is darkness. Pitch black._

_ She is alone once more and she cannot get out. Trapped. Restricted._

_ And around her, voices go on and people walk and ignore, and no one cares to help the girl trapped in her own silence._

* * *

When Tally woke up, the first thing she thought was: _Fuck. _

The second thing she thought was: _My head feels like it's going to explode. _

And her third thought was: _Where the hell am I?_

With this thought, panic closed around her chest and she shot up, up in her bed. Only it wasn't _her _bed, as it was white, with thick blankets in a mauve color. Her own bed at home was blue, with blue sheets and blankets.

She liked blue.

_So I'm not at home,_ Tally thought, glancing around the small room in which she was in: off-white walls, one window (big enough to escape in, Tally noticed with relief), and a small chair next to the bed, on which lay her purse, a teal faux-leather number that she had managed to stuff in her dress pocket before she had left for home. She leaned over and snatched it up, digging through it to make sure her captor hadn't taken anything. He – or she – obviously hadn't, as everything was in its place. Tally whipped out her phone and checked the time. _10: 11 AM_, it blinked up at her.

_What the hell is going on?_

"Was yesterday a dream...?" Tally wondered out loud to herself, speaking in a whisper. Her stomach was twisting and turning, her heart was pounding, and her head hurt. A lot. The events of the past day came back to her in a wave: the fight, Darcy's face contorted with rage as she pushed, the car ... on top of her.

There was one mirror in the room, and Tally got out of bed and strode over to it. It was standing, balanced on the floor, and was tall enough to allow her to examine herself. She swallowed, hard, and began searching over her body for an affirmation of the—

Shit.

Lifting her dress skirt up (she was still dressed in the clothes from before), she noticed that her entire stomach was covered in blue-purple bruises, which were sore to the touch. She winced, and craned her neck to check her back, where more bruises greeted her. She examined her arms and legs; there were minor bruises and scrapes on her arms, and her left calf was wrapped in white bandages, stained with red, though she wasn't sure what had happened to it. It throbbed dully. Her hair was a wild and messy mane of curls, and her eyes were red, with dark circles underneath them. On top of this, she looked as if she had lost fifteen pounds. She looked abused and emaciated.

Tally Kingston was a mess.

The realization of this sent another wave of nausea over her body, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting or crying. What had _happened _to her? Obviously, the accident had been no dream. And, yet, she wasn't in a hospital. And she wasn't at home. So where was she? In a stranger's house? She didn't remember ever coming to this house.

It hadn't been ten seconds after this thought when she heard footsteps outside the door, and her heart jumped. Suddenly, a thousand stories jumped out at her, stories of dead children, tortured and mutilated before their bodies were discarded. She didn't want to die (again)! Not like this!

As she footsteps got closer and the doorknob turned, Tally decided she was going to fight. She grabbed the nearest weapon she could find – a small hardcover book she had managed to stuff into her purse – and spun around, clutching it tightly.

Staring back at her was a tall, lean woman, with long, straight hair and big eyes. Her face looked kind, in comparison to her possible cannibalistic/murderous intentions.

"Hello," she said. Her voice sounded light, like air.

Tally snapped to action. "Aayayayayayayaaaaa!" she screeched, punctuating her battle cry by whipping the book as hard as she could. The woman's eyes widened, and she ducked. The book sailed over her head, and into the living room, where a large crash was heard. Her captor turned and glanced at the damage.

"Oh, dear," she murmured. "The poor girl seems terrified."

_Poor girl? _Tally's eye twitched; she hated being underestimated. "Oh, yeah?" she said, trying to sneer, though it came off more like a dying squeal. "Well, I'll have you know ... I'm a trained ninja!"

_ Smart, _the voice in her head sneered, successfully. _I'm sure she'll fall for that one._

_ She better! Or I'll yell at her!_

_ Of course._

"You are?" The woman seemed more amused than scared. "I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, I am! And I can, uh, fight really well and stuff!" She lifted her fists. "So you better back off! And if you have any thoughts of eating me, I'll—"

"Eating you?" The blonde lady laughed. "Why would I eat you?"

"Because ... because..." Tally racked her brain for possible answers. When she came up with none, she retorted with, "How should I know? You're the cannibal here!"

Blonde Lady shook her head, an amused smile playing on her lips. She lifted her palm. "I solemnly swear that I mean you no harm."

Tally blinked. Could she be trusted?

_I think so, _The Voice said.

_Your opinions always lead to bad consequences! _

_But you manage to get out of them in the end, right?_

_Shush!_

Tally turned towards Blonde Lady with a wary expression on her face. "What's your name?" she demanded.

"Beth." She smiled, as if they were casual people introducing themselves at a bingo after-party or something.

"Alright, _Beth._" Tally narrowed her eyes. "Where did you find me?"

"On the main road. You were very injured, especially your leg." She gestured to her wrapped left calf. "I found you and took you in. You would have become very sick otherwise."

"How come ... How come I don't remember any of this?" Tally didn't like how the story made sense, and how it made Beth seem harmless. It felt weird, trusting a stranger.

"You were unconscious. And it was raining. I understand some fall asleep in the rain."

Tally's cheeks tinted red. Fell asleep in the rain? Then, something else hit her. "Wait! Did you say ... rain?"

"It was raining, yes." Then Beth gestured to the window. "But it's gone now. Everything looks so peaceful."

Tally didn't give two shits about 'peaceful'. She scrambled to the window and glanced outside. The grass was the greenest color she had ever seen, and there were few locals out and about, many who seemed to be working in gardens and farms. The sun was shining, and different colors stood out: ruby red, emerald green, golden yellow. She probably would have enjoyed the serene view, if not for her confusion.

And the fact that there was not a single snowflake in sight, despite yesterday.

"I ... I thought it snowed last night," Tally stammered, throat dry and stomach jumping.

Beth gave a confused look, her brows furrowing. "Snow? It hasn't snowed in Kriasin in years."

_Kriasin? _"K-Kriasin? Where's that? I thought ... I..." Winevra. They were supposed to be in Winevra.

She had gotten into a car accident.

She had died! She was sure of it.

And even if she hadn't, why the hell was she in ... in ... _Kriasin? _She was supposed to be in Winevra, at home or in a hospital bed!

This was crazy. And it was getting crazier by the second. She didn't like it. At all.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Beth took a step forward. "You look very pale."

"F-Fine." Tally blinked, hard. Her head was rushing, different emotions hitting her at once to create a kaleidoscope of feeling that she didn't want to deal with: anger, for Beth acting for calm. Confusion, because _why the hell am I here? _And fear, most of all, because she had no idea what to do.

"I can tell you're confused," Beth said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. Tally flinched, but her blonde captor went on, "Go on and lie down for a bit. Clear your head. I will be right back in a bit." She helped the swaying girl walk over to the bed, and helped her into the bed before pulling the covers up and over her shaking body.

"I will be right back," Beth repeated with a reassuring smile. Tally managed to smile back, although she felt like she was going to puke.

And when Beth casually strode out the door, Tally waited until it clicked shut. And then she lay there. One second. Three seconds. Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

And then she burst into tears.

* * *

Tally wasn't sure how long she lay there, crying her eyes out. She did know that it felt like forever, yet never enough. And that she wasn't sure why she was crying. Was she scared? Confused? No, it wasn't that.

It was that damn feeling in her stomach, that made her feel terrified and strangely calm at the same time. Where was she? Why was she here?

When her sobs had downgraded to crying and then to sniffles, she realized she had to escape. Beth couldn't be telling the truth! No one was nice enough to just take in an abandoned girl and expect nothing in return. And she _wasn't _giving her cell phone away.

Aha! Cell phone! Tally wiped away the last bit of moisture from her eyes and grabbed her phone, quickly punching in her password. She then began to type in her mother's number, hoping Beth wouldn't come in and scream and smash her phone to pieces before murdering her.

"Work, work, work," she murmured, clutching it to her ear, waiting for the dial tone.

Instead, she got a message: _"No phone reception near. Please move to a more suitable location and try again."_

"Fuck!" Tally hissed, tossing it into her bag. If Kriasin didn't have phone service, how much more stone-age could it be?

Her headache was coming back. She needed music. And she also needed to escape. Her eyes flew to the window, and her lips twisted into a smile, though it wasn't a happy one. "Of course," she said dryly. "Time to go all James Bond on this chick's ass."

Tally got to her feet and stuffed her phone into her bag. She considered – for a second – writing a note or something of the sort, to let Beth know that she wasn't dead or missing. But she tossed the idea away. What could she write, anyway?

_Dear Beth,_

_ You've been really nice and stuff, but I still think you're a murderous cannibal, and I don't want to die like that. Okay. Bye!_

No. That would be ridiculous.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder, Tally walked to the window and tried to prop it open. However, it was obvious that it hadn't been used in a while, as it was wedged shut. She scowled. "Come on, you damn window!"

She tried with all her teenage girl strength, pulling and pushing and poking around, to no avail. Then, she dug through her purse, looking for something to help her. Phone? No. Book? No. Paperclip? ...No. Pencil? "Yes!" Tally fished it out and quickly stabbed in where the window met the windowsill. Then, she used one hand to pull it open, and the other to use the pencil to try and loosen it and—

_Pop!_

The window came loose, alright. It also hit her, in the mouth, and she yelped. "Ow!" Her hand went up to expect the damage, and came away red. "Shit..."

"Hello?" Beth knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

"F-Fine!" she called back, suppressing a wince. She couldn't walk outside with a bloody mouth. She raced over to the mirror to inspect the damage: her lower lip had split. It hurt. A lot. Tally blinked back frustration-tears. She really was a mess.

"You don't sound very fine. Would you like me to come in?"

"No!" Tally cried. "Please, whatever you do, just don't come in, _please__!_" She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She couldn't even open a window properly, that was how confused and scared she was!

Beth was quite for a bit, and Tally sank to her knees. The open window let in a breeze, which swept in and around her, as if trying to cheer her up. Not that it was working. The brunette sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. She just wanted to go home.

The door clicked open, and Beth crept in. When she saw Tally's mouth, her eyes widened, glancing at the open window. She seemed to put two and two together, and strode over to close the open window. Then, she knelt next to the trembling teenager.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said softly. "That is one thing I can promise you."

Tally simply nodded. What could she say to that? _Yeah, I know, my stomach is just being dumb. _

"Would you like to eat something?"

"No, thanks," she muttered. Her stomach wouldn't hold anything.

"Alright, alright. What is your name?"

And then Tally wanted to laugh; she felt like she had already experienced enough with Beth for them to be pretty acquainted. _She doesn't even know my name..._

"Tally," she muttered. "My name is Tally."

"Okay, Tally. Where are you from?"

Tally took a moment to think before answering. What could she say? _Oh, this place called Winevra that you probably haven't heard of. I just, you know, died and woke up here. A day in the life, aha!_

No. No, that wouldn't work. Even she knew what would happen, should she tell Beth the truth. She'd be whisked off to a crazy house, a mental hospital. And there, they'd strap her down into a leather chair or force her to swallow pills. And she couldn't let that happen. The mere thought made her stomach drop.

She had to lie.

She had read a book, once, about a girl in a psychiatric ward, and she hadn't been able to read that same book again. Images of mentally unstable patients reaching towards her, screaming desperate screams, claws extended. And then that image was replaced with one of her becoming one of those patients.

"Tally?"

"I don't know!" she blurted, and she almost relaxed for a second, because it wasn't a lie, exactly. She didn't know ... what to say.

"You don't know?"

She went with this. "Yes. I ... seem to have lost my memory. I don't remember much of anything about my past. Especially names. All I remember is waking up here..."

Beth frowned, leaning in by an inch and observing Tally with calculating eyes. The teen swallowed hard and stared back, trying to look into Beth's hazel eyes with her brown ones with honesty.

Finally, after what seemed to be a long time, Beth tore her gaze away. "Alright."

"What?"

"You can stay here, until we find out where to send you for treatment for your memory. You probably hit your head very hard."

"Yeah, probably," Tally said, forcing a laugh.

Beth smiled warmly. "Welcome to Kriasin, Tally."

* * *

_And this, my lovely friends, was my first day in the magical world of ... erm ... another world. Amestris, to be specific. Isn't it obvious that I was born to be an adventurer from the beginning? Pfft! _

_ ..._

_Ahem._

* * *

**tadaaaa! there you have it, folks! the second chapter of my story. :) not bad, huh? albeit short, i'm pretty happy with this chapter.**

**how odd. :o**

**ahem.**

**anyhow, i know this might be a bit late, but hey, it's nothing compared to the four month long absences from before! *laughs* am i right?**

***hides from thrown fruit***

**hehehe...**

**^_^"**

**okay, okay, i apologize. but hey, let's be optimistic here! at least i updated. :) and at least puppies aren't extinct!**

**le pfft.**

**it'll be a while before i'll get started on the next chapter. and by a while, i mean a few days. i usually get started on the beginning of the next chapter as soon as the previous is finished (though it takes me some time to complete it). but, alas, i watched a Disney movie (_Wreck it Ralph) _and my heart is still trying to recover. IT WAS SO AMAZING. DO NOT GET ME WRONG. I LOVED IT.**

**but it also took my feels, shredded them, stomped all over them, and then handed them back to me to glue together with my tears.**

**SO MUCH EMOTION. **

**ahem.**

**now, to replies! **

* * *

**Replying to the Sexy Cookies  
**

**TaylorRiley17: thank you for all your kind words! ^_^ i'm glad you find it different. uniqueness is a virtue, is it not? :3 and i'm also relieved that Tally isn't a Mary Sue. gaaah, it would suck major lollipops if she was. so thank you! and here is the update, as you have requested. ;) enjoy!**

**indescribable music: no problemo! ;) updating is fun! and, yeah, i liked the original, too. but i really hope this one will be just as good, if not better. if you have anything you think i could improve on, then please let me know so i can fix it. :)  
**

**rachLA: le pffft! me? lose my touch? heeeell naw!  
**

**ahem.**

**thank you for reading! ^_^**

**Eniverante: nooo, dear reader, thank _you, _for reading! :) i'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. i hope you enjoy this one, too, though it's a bit shorter than the last. ^_^"  
**

**coporal cat: thank you! i'm glad you find my story to be of the interesting variety. and i, too, am excited to see what becomes of it.  
**

**Music Illusion: silver? *fist pump* AWWW YEAH! who needs gold when you have silver? ;)  
**

**yup, she does. she's a bit more cruel in this one, with her snide remarks about Tally's dad. it'll probably get worse from here. though it might get better. who knows? :) **

**i think i do. i mean, i haven't met many Tallys in my life, so i'd consider her pretty rare a personality. **

**deja vu? perhaps.**

**i like Isabelle, too! :) it's a shame Tally doesn't, but that's mostly because they haven't gotten close. Isabelle considers Tally to be a stereotypical girly airhead. Tally considers Isabelle to be the usual nerd who doesn't care about anything further than her textbook. **

**Tally's a mix and match, isn't she? *thoughtful nod* **

**NO NO NO. NOT FAIR, MAGGIE. YOU DO NOT SEND ME MUSIC VIDEOS OF THE WORST LOVE STORY EVER. NOT FAIR. .**

**you _better _be joking! *warning look* or else...  
**

**hehe. lame joke is lame.**

**thanks for reading!**

**42believer: gee, high school does seem to suck, does it not? what was the government _thinking_, sending unstable, hormonal teenagers to all band together in a building for four years?  
**

**thank you for your compliments! ^_^ i'm glad you like my writing. **

**to be honest, so was i. i tried to shorten the chapter, but it insisted on being long. *le shrug* however, this one's shorter. but the next one will probably be longer... *thoughtful mutterings***

**thank you for reading! :) **

**TheWaffleAlchemist: ah, why yes! making kittens happy is a liable excuse to review, is it not? ;)  
**

**better than the first story? :D thanks! i'm glad! **

**pffft, naw. most of Tally's weekends consist of eating too much junk food and reading and drawing. and the occasional get-together with friends. the weekend you just read was probably her most interesting one yet. **

**i don't find school to be boring. tiring, yes, but not boring. unless you're in math class. then la dee dah. **

**the next chapter is here, my friend! :) enjoy!**

* * *

**and those are all the reviews, and my replies to them! i thank everyone who reviewed, read, favorited or alerted my story! :) you guys are all amazing! thank you!**

**that's all the time we have for today, folks. join us next week/month/year (kidding!) to find out next about Tally's adventures in Amestris. dun dun dunnnn.**

***flies off* **


	4. In Which Tally Has An Epiphany

_oTo die would be an awfully big adventure. ~ _J.M. Barrie (_Peter Pan)_

* * *

_It was really strange. I mean, all my life, I had hoped for adventure. I'd read books about it, dreamed about it, watched movies, spent all my life thinking about these amazing stories. As a kid, I was always the odd one out because, while I was girly, I didn't want to get married or settle down or even get a job. I wanted to have sword fights and go on epic journeys and save worlds. I wanted true friendship, a home. This stayed with me as I grew up (probably why I'm a social outcast ... ahem.). _

_ Yet, now here it was, an adventure, and all I could feel was fear. Lined with excitement, yes, but also fear because, for the first time in my life, I had no idea what was coming next, and I was away from all I knew._

_ Equivalent exchange, right? I thought I'd be ready to give up everything, but apparently that wasn't true. You miss things._

* * *

Tally thought that Beth was odd, but she was wrong.

Beth wasn't odd.

Beth was _very _odd.

For one, she had very interesting_/weird _taste in food. Tally only realized this later that same day, when she sat at the dinner table and came face to face with a purple liquid sitting in a bowl. She wrinkled her nose and sniffed it, recoiling at its bitter smell. She hoped it wasn't made of human organs.

"What's this?"

"Cabbage soup, with some extra herbs and flowers and things I've added." Beth smiled. "I hope you don't mind that I'm a vegetarian."

"That's okay," Tally said, still eyeing her 'soup' warily. "I don't mind. But, uh, what kind of _things_ have you added to this?"

"Not much. Just some roots, bamboo, tofu, some earthy substances."

"...Is it safe?"

Beth looked confused for a moment. Then, her face cleared and she smiled, raising a hand to her heart. "I promise."

Tally nodded, and picked up her spoon. She dipped it into the purple liquid and then lifted it to her mouth. In one swift, courageous moment, she pushed it past her teeth and swallowed...

...and nearly threw it back up.

The cabbage soup tasted _awful_, like someone had simply mixed oily vegetables with water. It had a lumpy texture, and the bitter taste remained long after she downed her glass of water. Tally forced herself to smile at Beth's curious gaze. "It's ... good..."

"I can see you're unused to my cuisine," Beth said with a wistful smile. "That's okay. I can get something more ... normal for you."

"No, no," Tally said, waving a hand, though her head was screaming, _"Yes!" _

"I insist," Beth said firmly. She rose from her chair and disappeared into the kitchen. Tally felt bad for offending her, but the feeling disappeared moments later when Beth with a bowl of what was obviously store-bought pasta, a dish that Tally welcomed with open arms.

The other odd thing that Beth did was that she constantly got up in the wee hours of the morning to sit and close her eyes. Or meditation, as Beth called it. Tally was familiar with meditation, as Maddie often managed to drag her to a yoga class or two. But she had always been horrible at it. It was _hard_, to sit still for so long.

One morning, she had heard a suspicious noise and woke up to find Beth. It was 5:58 AM, as her cell phone informed her. So she raced through the house, whisper-shouting the name of her caretaker into rooms until she came across a small door in a corner of the house, one that she hadn't explored yet. Being curious of whatever cool things_/bodies _Beth had lying around, Tally took a breath and opened the door.

Beth was staring up at her from the floor, where she sat, cross-legged. "Hello."

"Eeeeek!" Tally jumped, giving an indignant shriek. When she noticed who it was, she calmed. "Y-You scared me!"

"I did? I apologize." Beth folded her hands in her lap. "Did you come to meditate?"

"Wha? It's, like, six o'clock! In the morning!"

"It is. Around dawn. That is when the veil between the human world and the spirit world is the thinnest."

"...Um. Okay." Tally shifted her feet. She didn't know what to say. "So, uh, I'll just ... let you do your meditation thing." And she offered a smile before awkwardly turning and leaving, nearly running into a wall.

Yet, despite occasional awkward moments, and suspicions about her food and possible poison, Tally got used to living with Beth. She was surprised at how much freedom she had. She could easily slip out the front door, only to re-appear in the afternoon, and Beth wouldn't mind. _Back home, _she often thought, _Mom would have blown a gasket and called the FBI, if she had ever woken up and found me missing. _

Beth – and the rest of Kriasin – was nice, but lacking in technological skills, or any modern knowledge. When Tally had asked Beth for a big map, Beth had directed her to a map with weird countries such as _Xing _and _Drachma. _

"Where is France?!" Tally had asked, fuming silently, looking all over the map for her beloved country.

"I have never heard of France."

"What?" Tally asked incredulously. She understood not having heard of Winevra (no one really had heard of it, after all), but France was a large, powerful country! Everyone knew its name! But despite further pressing, Beth still claimed to have no knowledge of France.

So it was up to her to find a city big enough to have a _real _library, and some indication of where she was. After all, libraries contained archives. And thanks to many school projects, Tally knew first-hand how useful archives could be. According to Beth, the nearest big city was Grodowne, a large city a few miles east from Kriasin. Beth didn't have too much information on it, however, so that was all Tally knew about Grodowne.

Tally found it hard to go up and tell Beth that, after all their time spent together and all she had done for her, she had to leave. So she put it off, the thought lingering in the back of her head during awkward silences. Meanwhile, Beth went on, gardening (even convincing Tally to join her one day), making disgusting food, and meditating. And Tally went on, being silent.

One day, however, she could no longer handle it. She had gotten up that morning, and had turned her phone on, only to discover – again – that she had no wifi. She realized this every day, so that was not the bad part.

The bad part was that, that day, she had decided to lie in bed and think over all she was missing. _School, _she thought. She imagined what it would have been like. She had been counting the days (as Beth only had a calendar from 1914, which made no sense, but hey, it was Beth.), and she realized that eight days had gone by since she had been living with Beth. Eight days, and she still hadn't picked up the courage to ask about what would happen to her. Her mother was going to strangle her.

_In school, I would be dropped off by Justin. Along the way, we'd talk. About random things, mostly. But also about people we hate, people we love, books, movies, and songs. And he'd put on an annoying song on the radio to piss me off. I'd bug him to watch Disney movies with me at his house._

And then it hit her.

Disney movies.

No wifi, no form of communication to the outer world...

This meant no Disney, as long as she was silent. No more _Beauty and the Beast. _She could kiss _The Lion King _goodbye.

And one second, she was lying in bed, shock tears nearly filling her eyes, and the next second, she was scrambling out of her bed, running out the door and down the stairs and nearly crashed into Beth, who was on her way out of the kitchen.

"Beth," Tally panted. "I ... need to talk ... to you."

"What is it?" The blonde woman furrowed her eyebrows. "You sound tired."

_I _am_ tired ... of being quiet. _"I just ... I need to know when the next train to Grodowne leaves."

"Grodowne? Why would you wish to go to Grodowne?"

"I..." How was she going to phrase this delicately enough not to hurt her? _I just wanna get home. And, well, sort of be rid of you. _It was like talking to her mother; she wanted to be blunt and just say how she was feeling, but she was scared of hurting her. "I have some work to do ... and stuff. And I think that it would be a good idea to explore the neighboring towns."

Beth broke into a smile. "Oh, I'm so glad."

Tally blinked. _Huh? _"Y-You are?" she stammered. That was certainly quicker than she expected. She had imagined/_dreaded _tears, pouting, sadness. Not encouragement.

"Why, yes. I was afraid you had forgotten about your amnesia."

"My ... oh, yeah, that." She _had _forgotten about it, until Beth had reminded her.

Beth was still talking. "...and it's so wonderful that you've decided to take action against it."

"What?" _Had Beth even been listening to her? _

"Grodowne is very well known for its superb medical care. I'm sure you'll find a doctor there to help you."

"Doctor? Oh, um, yeah! Perfect. A doctor." She forced some happiness into her voice. "I was scared you'd be offended or something..." her voice trailed off, the way it always did when she felt awkward.

"Offended? Heavens no! I'm _glad._" Beth smiled warmly and bent a little to ruffle Tally's messy ponytail. "I can come with you, if you like."

"NO!" Tally blurted immediately. At Beth's confused expression, she cleared her throat and re-chose her words. "I mean ... um, it'd be hectic, right? Plus, you have your job here and stuff. The citizens of Kriasin need you!" Beth worked as a sort of pharmacist/healer, who made strange concoctions to treat illness. They smelled bad, but seemed to work, as the town loved and trusted her.

"I'm sure they can manage without me for a day or two," Beth said with an amused smile.

"Well, erm ... two tickets would be expensive."

"Oh, they wouldn't, really."

"...Erm. I need to ... be more responsible and ... walk my own path?"

"...That is true." Beth smiled. "Oh, I'm so glad you're taking the first step to recovery!"

_She makes me sound like a druggie or something, _Tally thought, but forced herself to smile and nod.

"Okay." Beth put two hands on Tally's shoulders. The young girl stiffened, but relaxed just as quickly. "You can go."

Tally gave an inaudible sigh of relief. _Yes! _Beth wasn't getting teary-eyed, or upset. She wasn't feeling guilty (for the most part). Her mission was a success!

"When do you wish to leave?"

"As soon as possible!" Tally blurted.

The blonde woman furrowed her eyebrows, and Tally caught herself. _Be calm, _she said to herself. _Acting so excited for a doctor's appointment sounds odd. _

"I mean ... I'm just sick of living like this, you know?" She looked up into Beth's hazel eyes. "I want to know who I am, where I'm from..."

The older woman gave a wan smile. "You are not made from your past, but from your present."

"..."

"What I mean to say is that there's no rush." She knelt down to Tally's level. "I understand how you must feel, but take some time, and consider what you will do afterwards."

"Afterwards?" She knew what she was going to do afterwards. She would find a map home, call and somehow tell Beth that she wasn't coming back, and go home. Easy as pie, right?

"Yes. What will you do with your new memories?"

Tally wanted to reveal her plans to go home; with someone like Beth, she knew honesty was the best policy. But that would open up a whole world of confusion and details, and then she'd have to admit that she _knew _where she was from, and that her amnesia facade was just that: a facade. And that would result in Beth losing her trust in her. She hated to admit it, but, as much as she had told herself not to get attached to anything or anyone on her journey back home, she had gotten used to having a blonde hippie take care of her. And she liked it. She didn't want to lose that. Beth had evolved from stranger to friend.

"Okay..." Tally murmured, not quite sure what else to say. "I guess I can wait...?"

Beth laid a hand on Tally's shoulder and gave her another smile. Something flashed in her eyes, but it passed too quickly for Tally to see what it was. And then her hand disappeared and she did, too, not glancing back as she walked out the door and out of sight.

Tally took a deep breath and scratched her neck. She looked around, taking in the small room, the people working and living and talking outside her window, the wooden door. She flopped onto the bed, a frown now on her lips. _What have I gotten myself into...?_

* * *

_I bet you all think I'm one big idiot, huh? I mean, going around, lying to someone as kind as Beth, and pretending I have no idea what I'm doing ... it's serious stuff. Not to mention, I'm sorry if I've offended any amnesiacs. I'm sure your disease is awful, but it also turned out to be a good excuse._

_ I'M A BAD PERSON; I KNOW. DON'T RUB IT IN._

_ Ahem. _

_ But I was seriously planning on telling the truth! And, you know, maybe even staying at Beth's place and helping her out with her gardening and hippie potions (medicines, herbal concoctions, whatever.) to make up for my lies before leaving, so I'd leave on at least semi-happy terms. _

_ And perhaps that would have happened..._

_ If not for Beth and her need to be nice. _

_ ARGH. I am so. Fucking. Screwed._

* * *

**so i decided to go into a bit of a different direction with this. instead of forcing Tally to go get treatment, Beth waits until she feels comfortable to do so (or at least she thinks). yet, there _is _something stopping her. what is it, you ask?**

**you'll find out in the next chapter. ;) **

**i apologize for the short chapter. but i've already begun the next one, and i like that one so far, so it'll be out sooner than this one was. ahem. **

**in fact, the next chapter is nearly done. it just needs some tweaking and a decent ending and we'll have ourselves a wrap! **

**a chicken wrap!**

**hahaha ... haha ... ha...**

***awkwardly continues***

**woah, sweet mother of lord alpaca, all those reviews? pfft. you guys are literally the greatest! ^_^ thank you!**

**speaking of reviews, it's time i reply to those babies.**

* * *

**Replying to the Awesome Cookies**

**TaylorRiley17: no problemo! ;) i hope you had an amazingly awesome birthday! :) **

**haha ... yeah, Tally's not much of a ninja. (but she likes to pretend she is, so let's let her do that.) **

**she's also not a good judge on situations. i don't think a cannibal would stick her in bed, waiting for her to wake up (and possibly escape). tsk, tsk. she needs to rethink her decisions. **

**here is my next update! :D i hope you like it, and thank you so much for reading!**

**indescriba****le**music: **yeah, i think everyone liked Beth. :) i'm pretty fond of her myself, so there's no way i'd give her up. i hope you enjoyed the update, and thank you for reading!**

**Cloud-Dancer103:**** thank you for reading! ^_^ erm, this update isn't exactly _soon, _but it's here! :D **

**Eniverante:**** thank you! ^_^ i'm glad you like the chapter! hehe, Tally is quite awkward, isn't she? i suppose it's just one of her more interesting traits. thank you for reading! **

**TheWaffleAlchemist:**** ahhh, why yes, my young fellow, Beth is still here~! ^_^ i like her character, too, and i'm glad you do, as well! **

**Tally's reaction was the first thing i wanted to change to her coming to Amestris. i felt she was too calm in the first version. now, she can freak out to her heart's content. and attack people. **

**SweetSirendipity:**** YEAH! hurray for Beth! pffft. fangirl over Beth to your liking, my friend. i don't mind. ;) **

**so do i. she's not very good with her lies. she'll probably have to keep a chart to keep track of them all. **

**HERE IS THE UPDATE. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAIT.**

* * *

**and there we have it! the awesome cookies that were kind enough to review my story! thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited or alerted! you guys keep the story running well. ^_^ **

**now i have a stomachache so i'm going to go eat cake and lie down and cry.**

**AU REVOIR! **


	5. Babysitting

**_Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. _**

**_~Shel Silverstein _**

* * *

The next day, Tally decided to see what, exactly, had happened to her leg. The bandages were stained with dried blood – which was gross, but she most wanted to know what was beneath the disgusting mess. Plus, her bandages obviously needed a change.

"Beth," she said. "Do you know where I can find, erm, bandages?"

Beth looked up from where she was crushing herbs. "Bandages? I do not have any. Why do you need them? Are you hurt?"

Tally shifted on her feet. She knew she had to buy bandages, if Beth had none. But even now, she felt wary and awkward when asking for money or favors from Beth. She felt like she was taking too much and giving too little; she had nothing to offer back to Beth in exchange for all she had done, besides companionship and the occasional cheesy joke.

But Tally one look at her calf and she swallowed her pride. "My leg," she murmured, gesturing to it. "I-I don't want an infection or anything because … that would suck. So I need some new bandages. Nothing fancy! Just some gauze or … something…"

_Smooth. 'Nothing fancy!' What, did you think she was imagining gold plated bandages?_

Before Tally could retort, Beth's face cleared of any confusion, and she smiled. "Oh, yes, of course! Bandages. Ah, absolutely. I had forgotten all about your leg. Is it still hurting?"

"Sometimes, if I touch it. But otherwise, it's pretty okay."

"Good, good. Alright. Grab a few hundred cens from the copper dish in the kitchen next to the breadbox. And then just head out, down the path until you get to the market, make a left and you'll find a small, basic aid shop. If you get lost, just ask for directions."

Tally nodded, trying to take in all the information. "Okay. Thank you." She turned around and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing the necessary amount of money from the copper tray where Beth kept her spare money.

She had her hand on the door when Beth called out, "Oh, and Tally?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care not to step on any plants. The people here are quite protective of their crops."

"Um. Okay."

* * *

Outside, it was the kind of warm and sunny day that Winevra almost never saw. Though Tally preferred the blissful snow (and was already yearning for the Canadian winter that awaited her at home), she couldn't help but smile at the running children, farmers wiping the sweat from their brows, and those simply on outdoor strolls. _Kriasin is a nice town, _she thought, _despite the lacks of wi-fi. _It was the kind of town she would love to spend a cozy winter in. She felt it was a real pity it seldom saw snow.

But every town has its odd points, the part that sticks out like a sore thumb. On this glorious day, it was a little girl, with braided blonde hair and freckles that covered nearly every inch of her body. She was sitting atop a bench, and bawling loudly. Those around her had the looks of the indecisive, as if contemplating whether or not to go out of their way to comfort her.

Tally noticed her just before she made the necessary left that would/_should _lead her to the market. She stopped in her tracks; the girl was small, and she looked to be around four or five years old. The brunette bit her lip before walking up to her and taking a seat on the bench next to her. "Hi."

The girl looked up at Tally, wiping her eyes and sniffing. "What?"

"Why are you crying?" She smiled, trying to seem comforting."

"Are you my mommy?"

"What? No! I'm not! Haha. I'm just a kid, like you, really."

"Do you know where my mommy is?"

Tally shrugged. "Nope. No clue. Are you lost?"

Instead of answering, she burst into tears once more. Tally nearly flinched at the unsuspected action. "H-Hey! Stop crying; it'll be okay, seriously."

"I want my mommy!"

Passerby – who had earlier begun to relax when the little girl had stopped crying – now looked alarmed again, and many were shooting Tally suspicious looks: _What did you do?_

"Look, I'll help you find your mom!"

The blonde child gulped down a sob. "You will?"

"Yeah. That's what I said, didn't I?" _I'm sure it won't take long. Get the kid back to her mom, and then hurry to the first aid shop. No biggie._

"Hmph. Mommy says not to trust strangers." The girl's attitude had changed abruptly, and she lifted her chin and looked Tally in the eye, going from desperate to cautious in seconds. But her chest heaved and her hands shook, and Tally could tell she was desperate.

"Well, I'm not a stranger, really. I live here, in that house over there." She pointed to Beth's place. "Besides, there are people all around here. You're safe."

The young girl looked thoughtful for a moment, and kept her observing eyes on Tally. The teenager was sure she would start bawling again or, worse, cry for help. Instead, she said, "My mommy has hair like yours. All big and swirly. But hers is pretty."

"Hey!" Tally narrowed her eyes. "That's not nice."

"And she had eyes like your, but they were smaller. And prettier."

Tally's eye twitched, and she tried not to yell at the child. "So you've lost your mother."

"Duh!"

"Yeah, okay," she muttered. "No need to get all sassy with me now. Look, I can help you find her."

Blonde Brat's eyes grew bigger. "You will?"

"As long as you cut it with the insults!" She shot the child a stern look. "If you agree to that, then we'll get started." _And finish quickly so I can get some fucking bandages…_

was silent for a bit, as if thinking over this proposition. Then, she said, "My name's Penny."

Tally exhaled, smiling lightly. "I'm Tally."

* * *

Penny's tears had long dried up, and she was now walking with Tally, the two of them holding hands, along the pathway. Both were looking for her mother, and neither had any success, so far. They had even asked some locals, who had looked quite surprised when they realized the young girl was not with her mother. Tally assumed the two were close, and her mother was protective. She decided she liked her.

"So, what does your mother look like again?" Tally asked as they took a turn.

"Mommy," Penny corrected. "Her name is Mommy, not Mom."

"…Okay. Well, what does _Mommy _look like?"

Penny looked thoughtful for a moment, as if looking for the right words. "Well," she said at last, "she has really big curly hair like yours. But she ties her back because she works a lot. So it doesn't stick out all weirdly."

Tally rolled her eyes. _Why the hell did I agree to help this little brat? _"Wow, you're just a little bundle of joy, aren't you?" she murmured sarcastically.

"I am!" Penny shot back, obviously oblivious to the sarcasm. She stuck out her bird-like chest with pride. "Mommy says I have … po … pot…"

"Potential?"

"Yeah! I don't know what that is, but it sounds cool."

"Yup. Potential is good."

Penny was quiet for a bit, and the two walked on in silence. Though Penny hadn't expressed any signs of hopelessness, Tally could sense her tension. Every lost child had that nagging voice in the back of their head: _What if I can't find my family? _And they had been walking for nearly an hour. Before that, they had spent/_wasted _a whole fifteen minutes on the bench so Penny could 'think', though she just seemed to be staring at the ducks in the pond. Penny was definitely an outgoing young girl, with enough sass for all of Kriasin. A lot different from other kids. And, despite their short time together and occasional fall-outs, Tally had enjoyed the time. It distracted her. Hell, she'd even go as far as to say she'd grown a soft spot for the kid.

"So what's _your _mommy like?"

Tally flinched, biting back a yelp. The sudden voice in midst of all the silence had startled her. "Wh-What?"

"Your mommy. Do you _have _a mommy?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Is she nice?"

"Yeah…" Tally fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Yeah, she was…"

"Was? Is she dead?"

"No! She's not. I'm just … away from her at the moment."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"What does that mean?"

Tally thought for a second. "It means … well, it's sort of like having a big, tangled web of things. Usually feelings. And … and some things don't make sense and some do and it's hard to untangle those things so that they all fit together, like a puzzle. That's complicated."

Penny nodded like she understood. "Tangled, like your hair. Oh! Did your mommy have hair like yours?"

"Not really. She had smoother hair." It struck Tally as odd; she had worried about Disney, her books, her friends and school. But she had barely thought about what her mother would say or think. Probably because her mother was always so calm and collected, Tally assumed she would be fine.

_I've been gone over a week, _Tally thought. _She probably thinks I'm missing. Or … dead._

A sinking feeling of dread crept into her stomach as she thought over their last conversation, the night before the day of the accident.

_"Mum?" Tally called out, halfway up the stairs. "I'm going to bed now."_

_ "Have you done your homework?" Her mother's voice yelled over the sound of the T.V._

_ "Yeah. Erm, most of it."_

_ "Tally! Go do it! Now!" _

_ "But I'm tired!" _

_ "Tired is better than F!" _

_ "They don't give Fs in Canada. We have Rs." _

_ "Homework now!"_

_ "But I'm sleepy! I'll do it on the way to school tomorrow. Don't worry."_

_ "If you do badly in school, you will never get good job."_

_ "Mum, algebra isn't needed for any jobs I want."_

_ "Aye, my daughter is so stupid! Do your work and become doctor."_

_ "Mum, we've been over this … I don't want to become a doctor!"_

_ "You will be poor."_

_ "I will not!"_

_ "And what happened to those chocolates I bought from the store last night?" Her mother quickly switched over to Arabic._

_ "Um. I ate them." _

_ "TALLY! You know those are bad! I bought them for our guests on Monday!"_

_ "But I was hungry. You can't expect to buy Snickers and have me leave them alone!" _

_ "Tally, you must watch your figure. Your butt is getting bigger."_

_ "What?!" Tally's cheeks flushed, and she craned her neck, trying – and failing – to observe her rear end. "My butt is fine!" _

_ "Your friend, Maddie? Very cute figure. And such pretty hairstyles. Let her style your hair and go with her to gym." Back to English._

_ "Mum, I'm tired and this conversation is going nowhere. Good night."_

Tally frowned. _Our last conversation … about homework and butts. _She wanted to rewind and go back, give her mother a big hug and tell her that she loved her, a million times over. Because Aliah Kingston could be controlling, but she was her _mother. _And the fact that their last conversation had been so meaningless killed her inside. _When I get back, I'll tell her I love her. I'll even do my homework!_ Tally just hoped her mother hadn't done anything drastic. She always managed a calm demeanor, but she still worried often, Tally knew.

"Talllyyyy," Penny whined, cutting through her melancholy thoughts. "I'm hungry. And my feet hurt."

Tally rolled her eyes. "And how is that _my _problem?"

"Because you're gonna take care of me for today!"

"What?!" Tally crossed her arms and glared down at Penny. "When did I agree to this?"

The blonde pouted, eyes growing big and shiny, hands clasped together. Her expression threatened to erupt into waterworks, and Tally looked around at the busy streets. Though it had calmed down from the morning, it was still quite crowded. She found herself heaving a sigh and throwing her arms up. She did _not _need more stress!

"Alright, alright! We'll stop for some food, okay?"

"YAY"

"Brat…"

"Am not!"

* * *

Tally had taken Penny to an ice cream parlor, at the young girl's urgent request (and her own cravings). Penny had gotten a grape popsicle, and Tally was surprised to find the little ice cream sandwiches she was addicted to. After the initial shock, she had bought three – not enough, but she needed _some _money for bandages – of the treats. She and Penny had walked around some more, but eventually settled onto a bench. Tally swiftly checked her phone. _6:03 P.M., _it read. It was getting darker, and people were heading inside.

Penny seemed to notice this. She continued on with her odd, converting style of conversation, but Tally noticed the hesitations and occasional shaky words.

"Hey, why's the sky so blue?" the young girl had asked after some time.

"Hmmm … Well, I'm not sure."

"Sheesh, what do they _teach _you in school these days?!"

_Algebra. It's very important. We totally use it, like, every day of our lives. _"Yeah, we don't have Skies 101 as a class, sorry."

Penny spoke up almost immediately, a quiet sort of conviction behind her voice. "I can't wait to go to school. Mommy says I can go next year, if I get rid of my problem."

Tally frowned. "Problem? What problem?"

Penny sighed. "I can't read."

Tally chucked, giving her a warm smile. "Well, that's alright. I mean, lots of kids read late. How old are you, anyways?"

"Four," Penny said. "But I just can't read. The words and letters float around and dance on the page. They never sit still." She scowled, crossing her arms and glaring down at the grass. "I hate it."

Tally was quiet, stunned. Penny was dyslexic? But … how come no one knew? She knew Kriasin wasn't a modern town, but its' residents weren't _this _stupid, were they?

"Some people have that problem. Haven't you seen a doctor about it…?" Tally asked quietly.

"They don't know what's wrong with me! No one does. And the other kids call me mean names. Like dumb and stupid and retard!"

Tally's eyes widened. _Jesus Christ. She's dyslexic, in a town unaware of her condition, and bullied?! When I find those kids, I'll kick their asses! _She glanced at Penny, who now looked more sad and lost than angry. She was twiddling her thumbs, swinging her legs back and forth, looking impossibly small and child-like. _All this time, _Tally thought, _I've seen her as a brat. But, really, she's just a kid. _

"Look," Tally said. When Penny didn't respond, she gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Look here."

Penny looked up. "What…?"

"Do you know what will happen to those kids bullying you?"

Penny thought for a moment. "They'll get eaten by the scary man in the grocery store?"

"Well, probably not. But one day, Penny, those kids will die."

Penny giggled, as if this was very funny, and Tally went on, confidence growing with the humor she had brought.

"They'll die. But guess what happens before we die, Penny? Before we die, whether we like it or not, we'll have a quick little re-cap of our life. Like, we'll know … we'll _see _everything we've ever done and said. And those kids will see the total lapse of their boring lives."

"Hehehe…"

"No, I'm serious!" Tally raised a hand, as if swearing herself to the truth. "Trust me, since they're so close-minded and boring, they'll have boring lives! They'll grow up, with the same stupid morals they currently have. They'll get married to someone for their looks. Most likely, they'll divorce that person or something. They'll probably have some bratty kids. The point is, Penny, dull people live dull lives."

"But they're mean, not dull."

"Mean people are the dullest of all! It's because they feel the need to leave scars behind, and have no real heart. And their brains are too focused in one direction, so they're boring, because they can't expand. And if they can't understand that, maybe, it's not as easy for you to read as it is for them, well, they're as dull as they come!

"And when they die, they'll look over their lives. And they'll realize, Penny, that they spent all their lives being horrible and cruel and boring and mean. And that realization will leave them with a painful regret. They'll know they did wrong, while you've lived a marvelous life of adventure and friendship and love and family."

"Ha!" Penny said with a grin. "Serves them right!"

"Exactamundo!"

Tally smiled to herself. She was glad she had been able to deter Penny's mind from bullies. Back in Winevra, she had received her fair end of teasing, and knew how much it sucked, especially when you had no one to talk to or rant to. And from what she had observed and taken in, Penny was a loner. The last thing she wanted was for her to grow up friendless and thinking the bullies had _won. _

"Just remember," Tally continued, "There's someone for everyone."

"Ew!"

"No, no, not that way! I mean as friends. You'll find a pal soon, okay? And they'll be the luckiest person in the world."

Penny smiled from ear to ear, looking up at Tally with shiny eyes. "Thanks."

"No problemo."

Penny opened her mouth to say something, but a shrill voice interrupted her. "Penny! Penny!"

The child's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Mommy?" She jumped off the bench and took a step forward, looking around wildly.

Tally soon saw a short, muscular woman with curly brown hair, pulled back into a high ponytail. She was dressed in casual grey work slacks and teary eyes. Penny ran up to her and the woman scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

"Oh my God, Penny! You little rascal! I thought you had gotten out of Kriasin! I _told _you to play in the front area only!" Her mother kissed her forehead, but then broke apart and frowned down at her daughter.

"Sorry." Penny looked slightly ashamed, fidgeting with her shirt sleeve. "I saw a butterfly."

Her mom sighed, and shook her head, kissing her on the top of her head. "Please, never _ever _scare me like that again."

"I was scared, too. I prob'ly would have been eaten by bugs, but this girl saved me."

She pointed at Tally, who had been watching the duo embrace with a smile. When she noticed two pairs of eyes focused on her, she flushed, looking down and digging her toe into the dirt. _Oh, Lord, _she thought. _Here it is: a meeting. An introduction. Time for the awkwardness to commence!_

Penny's mother, however, was obviously having none of that. She burst forward, grabbed Tally's right hand and shook it so hard, Tally was afraid it might come off.

"My name is Reese Rogers, and I owe you my daughter's life."

Tally looked up, the birth of a laugh growing on her face, when she noticed Reese's completely serious expression.

"It-It wasn't such a big deal, really…" she giggled nervously.

"Absolutely not. I will not underestimate the deed you have done for me. Penny is a very independent girl, and I have no doubt she would have gotten herself into some kind of dangerous trouble, had you not been there to supervise her. She's very curious, especially about machines. I can't tell you how many times I've had to grab her out of the way of tractors and dangerous machinery."

Tally stared back, stunned. She could do nothing but nod mutely.

"I haven't seen you around here before." Reese cocked her head to the side. "Are you a traveler?"

Tally shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I sort of stumbled across this town, and Beth took me in." She pointed to the distant cottage in the corner that Beth called home.

The older woman nodded, crossing her arms. "Ah. Of course." She smiled warmly. "Beth has always had a knack for taking in people."

Tally raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Before you, there was this lost little boy. His mother had left on the train for Central without him, and so she kept him there for a bit before taking him to Central and reuniting the two. And then there was a lost middle-aged woman, with no money. Beth let her in, as well, until she could stand on her own two feet. And before _her, _there was the first two. These two boys, young, and very, very strange. One was around seven feet tall! And he walked around in a suit of armor, like it was no big deal. And the other was quite short, though he insisted _he _was the older brother!" Reese threw her head back and cackled, as if this was hilarious. "As if! He was probably shorter than you!"

Tally twitched. She was 5"1, and often teased for being so.

Penny chose this moment to jump in with her own input of the two boys. "They were funny," she said, stifling a yawn. "The armor guy liked cats. But the short guy was weird. It was funny when you called him short. He would start spazzing and dying." She grinned evilly, and Tally felt a momentary twinge of sympathy for the poor boy that had had to deal with Penny.

Reese shook her head, holding her daughter closer, as if she was afraid she would jump out of her arms and run off. Penny tucked her head in the crook of her mother's neck and closed her eyes. Tally smiled at the scene unfolding, ignoring the pang of longing for her own mother that reverberated through her chest and spread throughout her body in a painful wave.

"Well," she said, so quietly she was afraid no one had heard her. Luckily, Reese looked up at her, curiously. Tally went on, "I'm just going to, uh, head to the first aid shop to grab some bandages. You know, for my leg…" She gestured to her calf, and was glad when Reese didn't wince or grimace or run away screaming.

Instead, she said, "The first aid shop is closed."

Tally's eyebrows went up, and her jaw fell. "What?! So early?! Now?!" _The _one _thing I manage to leave the house for, and I can't even get it! What is this?! _

"It closes at eight." Reese checked her wrist watch. "It's eight eleven."

Tally groaned, throwing her hand over her eyes. "Crap," she mumbled. "I guess I'll have to go tomorrow, then…"

"I have bandages at my place," Reese offered. "You're welcome to come and take as many as you like."

"What? Oh, no, that's okay, really. I mean, uh, I don't want to be a bother or anything—"

Reese laughed, clapping Tally on the back so hard she nearly fell over. "Nonsense! It's the least I can do, considering all you've done for me and this little rascal here." She looked right into Tally's eyes. "Understand that you're always welcome at our household. Always."

Tally could only stutter, "Th-Thanks." She didn't know if Reese was exaggerating, or if what she had done was really that great. She was unused to being treated so specially and receiving friendly conversation from an almost stranger. All she knew was that she liked the feeling of helping, even if it included small deeds, like babysitting a curious child for a day. And the look on Reese's face – and Penny's – made it all worthwhile.

"Now, let's go. Penny's already asleep, and I don't want her to start dreaming, or she'll start kicking, and that did _not _go well last time."

* * *

It was incredibly late when Tally returned to Beth's house. And by incredibly late, it was exactly 9:57 PM, and Tally was sure Beth would majorly freak out as soon as she stepped in the building. She was hoping that Beth had gone to sleep early, so she could avoid the odd explanation that she had been rehearsing in her head.

_"Yeah, well, I _was _going to head straight to the marketplace, but I found this kid crying. And, well, I'm not a total dou – mean person, so I decided to go check up on her, and see what was up. Like, if some brat had stolen her doll or something. But, hey, she actually lost her mom! In the market, I mean. She didn't die or anything. Which is good! How typical, I know, I know, a kid that's lost their parent. But I decided to stay with her instead of getting bandages! Smart, right? So I did that … all day. And, uh, we found her mom soon and we had a nice reunion and … okay, you're leaving. That's fine. I'll just go lie in bed … and cry."_

Luckily, the bandages were sitting in the little pouch on her dress. Reese had been kind enough to lend her ample gauze, for free! Which meant Tally had leftover money to buy important, practical things (like more ice cream sandwiches and some books). Perhaps Beth would be calmer about the whole situation when she realized her ultimate goal had been achieved, despite the detours.

Tally knocked, wincing at the loud rapping. It made everything seem very loud and dramatic and big. The opposite of how she wanted it to seem. She wished Beth kept her door unlocked at all times, so she could just sneak in and plop into bed and act like she had come earlier.

She knocked again, frowning curiously, and waited for a bit. After receiving no answer, she huffed and reached out, ready to bang on the door, when it swung open to reveal Beth. She was standing, gripping her hips, eyebrows furrowed and lips twisted anxiously.

_Uh oh. _

"Where have you been?" Beth demanded. Her voice sounded more disappointed and upset than angry, and Tally felt a ball of guilt and nervousness twisting in her stomach. She'd rather Beth be screaming and lecturing, rather than looking sad.

"I was … it took some time…" She wasn't sure how to sum up the whole day in a few sentences, fast enough to wipe the look off of Beth's face.

The blonde woman leaned forward, laying both hands on Tally's shoulders and looking into her eyes. "I was worried sick. I thought you had ran off or gotten kidnapped! Kriasin isn't a dangerous town, but we're smack dab in the middle of Central and the more Ishvalan inhabited areas. It's still not the safest place to run off in!"

Tally looked down at her flats, fiddling with the sleeves of her dress. "Sorry," she mumbled. She didn't know what else to say. She wanted to disappear into the ground, vanish without a trace, so she wouldn't have to inconvenience anyone any longer. All the trouble she had gone through, trying _not _to be a burden, had come back and slapped her right across the face.

"There was a kid," she continued, sensing Beth needed more than a two-syllable word. "A little girl, named Penny—"

"Penelope?" Beth asked. Her expression had begun a transformation from upset to curious. "The Rogers girl?"

Tally nodded. "Yeah. She had wondered off and lost her mother. She was crying really hard … I … I couldn't have just left her hangin'! She looked really upset. And so I, um, sort of stayed with her all day. We looked for her mother."

Beth was silent for a bit. Then, she asked very quietly, "Did you find her?"

"Yup. We found her not too long ago, actually, and they had a nice reunion. And then I realized … the first aid shop was closed!" She laughed weakly, like this was funny. "But Reese, Penny's mom, was kind enough to let me use some of their bandages." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the three blocks of wrapped gauze, giving Beth what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Silence.

More silence. Tally hoped for a hypothetical knife to cut the tension.

At last, Beth sighed and rubbed her forehead with one hand. For once, she didn't look like forever-calm, older version of Luna Lovegood. For a second, she almost looked like her own mother back home, whenever Tally came downstairs in ripped leggings or paint-splattered tops. And though she was sure that Beth wouldn't start lecturing her on dressing more respectably, the gesture made her almost smile.

"Can I come in?" Tally asked timidly. "It's cold."

Beth shook her head, like she was forcing herself out of a trance. "Yes, yes, of course. Come in."

Tally bounded inside, slipping off her thin jacket as she did so. "Great! You know, today's been a pretty eventful day, so I'm beat."

"You look tired," Beth said. "But Tally, promise me you'll let me know where you'll be, should you be absent for a long period of time.

The teenager paused, thinking of her plan to get out of Kriasin and head to Grodowne. She had just wanted to uproot herself and leave, no strings attached. A simple plan. A plan that might make Beth a bit … lonely.

_I'm being so selfish, _she thought to herself. _Beth's been so nice and caring, and I'm ready to just leave her. _

And then The Voice spoke up: _Well, you can't help that. Who'd want to be stuck in this hippie town? Besides, you have your own home. You have a best friend that's probably killing himself over making you go to that party, an enemy that now thinks she's a murderer, and a mother who's probably swallowed a bottle of pills by now…_

_ Sh-Shut up! Don't say that! They'll be fine, without me. The world will move along. Seasons will change. They'll be fine._

_ You and I both know that's not true._

Tally clenched her hands into fists, looking down at the ground, eyes narrowed. _I have to get home. I have people there, a family, passions and interests. I have to get back, no matter the cost! Until then, all I can do is hope that Justin and mom are doing okay. _

"Tally?"

The brunette's head snapped up, a grin on her face. "Yup! I promise, next time, I'll let you know before wandering off. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Beth tilted her head to the side, obviously a bit confused at the young girl's sudden change in demeanor. "Alright," she said at last. "Well, I've made chestnut soup. Would you like some?"

Tally smiled, thinking of _Tangled _(one of her favorite movies of all time) and Rapunzel's favorite hazelnut soup. She had always wanted to try something like that. Chestnut wasn't hazelnut, but it would do.

"Sure," she said. "That sounds awesome!"

And for a while, things were okay again.

* * *

_I would have been perfectly fine, continuing my life calmly from there. Getting to Grodowne, finding a decent map, and getting home in one piece to my family and friends and books and art. That was the plan. It was supposed to work. _

_ But it didn't. And nothing could have prepared me for the events that happened after that day. If I had to think of my life, it would be in two parts. My life leading up to The Day of the Chestnut Soup (as I've called it) would be part one. And the adventures after that day would be part two._

_ And so it begins._

* * *

**so the last chapter seemed a tad bit shorter than my others. consider this one to make up for that! :)**

**i thought Tally never really got to know Kriasin enough for it to matter to her in the last version of this story. i mean, Beth mattered to her, but Kriasin was more of a random-town-i'm-staying-in for her. now, it's become much more of a sort of home-away-from-home. she's definitely not ready to dunk everything and stay! but she's also having second thoughts about leaving in an abrupt manner.**

**oh, Tally, you silly little goose.**

**AND CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE 2013 IS ALMOST HALFWAY OVER ALREADY? IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. I JUST REALIZED THIS AND SPENT A FEW MINUTES ON THE FLOOR ROLLING AROUND. **

**i think the year's gone by too fast. D: soon, it'll be 2014, then 2015, and 2016...**

***shudder***

**I'M NOT READY FOR THIS, GUYS.**

**hehe. i'm actually in French class right now. Tally'd probably kill me for not paying attention but, unlike her, i don't like French much. and by that i mean i dislike learning it. i love the language; it sounds really smooth and beautiful. but conjugating these damn verbs is hell, so i decided to do something more fun: writing. :D **

**so i'll hopefully get this published, whilst stealthily switching tabs to my French work every time my French teacher happens to stroll by. let's hope she assumes ' ' is some kind of French story website?**

**i'm really, honestly sorry for not updating as quickly as i should have. schoolwork has been a bitch; it's that time of year where teachers go, "wow! the school year is almost over! time to bombard my students with assignments as if they have nothing to do but schoolwork! hahaha!" not to mention, a horrible case of writer's block struck me recently, along with artist's block. it's like some big rock lodged itself in my creative fountain! but that rock has long been pushed out by a little fish of inspiration, so i'm loads better now. ;)**

**and now, it's time to reply to some smexy reviews! **

* * *

**Replying to the Smexy Cookies**

**SunshineSketch: ah, of course! :P her ninja skills are most immaculate! thank you for reading! **

**Kittenizzy Loves Edward Elric****: soon? *nervous giggle* i wouldn't say _soon_, but, uh, better late than never, right? ;D but thank you for your kind words and thank you for reading! **

**BleachBunneh****: thank you! :) i'm glad you find my story interesting! **

**i'm considering doing a little chapter just having her friends and family back on Earth, and how life goes on without her. perhaps i will! :) thank you for the little push to that idea. your review inspired it, actually. ;) **

**in Amestris, she's in currently in Kriasin, which is a little town almost smack dab in the middle between Central and a little area where Ishvallans used to live. though the distance between the main city (Central) and the Ishavallan area is great, Amestrian soldiers passed through the Kriasin area often when crossing. or at least that's how i saw it when i wrote about Kriasin. thus, Beth's earlier worry. **

**as for how she meets the Elric brothers, well, you'll have to see! :P i'm considering doing it differently in this version, but i might not. it depends. :) **

**OMG: THANK YOU! :D your review made me smile! i honestly doubt this is the best story ever (considering all the talent i've seen on this website and beyond) but it's also not the worst (HA TO YOU MARY SUES!) so thank you! :) and i'm continuing, so here you go! **

**anonnny: thank you for your nice words on my story! :) **

**well, Tally's a pretty average looking girl. she has wild, curly brown hair with red highlight (but these mostly stick out in the sun) and it falls to her waist. her eyes are big and mocha brown, and she has thick, strong eyebrows. she has olive skin. she's short, and thin, with long limbs and a small chest (so she's got tiny boobs). **

**her interests? well, she has many. as a kid, Tally's mom didn't like sending her out to social gatherings, so Tally always had lots of free time. she likes telling stories, and she likes to write and draw. she has an obsession with animation; she thinks it's absolute magic, even after learning the process behind it. so animated movies are her favorite. she's also very into music. and she likes food. **

**SweetSirendipity: WOOT. GO TALLY. YOU GO SHINE, GIRL. **

**yup, the story is definitely picking up! :) i'm quite certain the Elrics will appear in the next chapter, which is awesome. i'm excited to write them. **

**well, she won't be getting home _or _falling in love for a very long time. but there's many adventures, and quite a bumpy road up ahead. ;) **

**I HAVE UPDATED! :D **

**TheWaffleAlchemist: yeah. if Tally's one thing, it's passionate. :) **

**AND YES YES YES. she is akward times ten. it's a trait she's been trying really hard to get rid of but can't (and probably never will). she's just ... awkward. **

**any good Disney movies recently? well, every Disney movie i've seen is good. :P but the most recent one is Meet the Robinsons, which i had never gotten the chance to see before. to sum it up, it made me cry and feel many, many things. one of my favorite movies of all time. :) i suggest everyone see it! **

* * *

**and that is it for the review replies! :) thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited and alerted this story! seriously, you guys are the best! :D i never thought i'd get thirty reviews this fast, so thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**now enjoy this chapter! :D in the mean time...**

**TUMBLR CALLS! **

***flies off* **


	6. And So It Begins

**Of Candles and Bad Jokes**

_**I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.**_

― _**J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring**_

* * *

Buying the bandages wasn't easy, but actually _applying _them required one whole level up on Tally's bravery scale. A level-up she hadn't received. Now, her injury only throbbed when she hit it against something. She still couldn't poke it without a twinge of pain running up her calf. So she could only imagine the horrors beneath the bandage.

"Who knows what's down there?" she murmured to herself, something she'd been doing a lot lately. "I could find Michael Fucking Jackson, for all I know!"

It took two pep talks and countless reps of deep breaths before Tally managed to peel the bandage off. She had planned to rip it off at once, but ended up slowly lifting it up and off her leg, closing her eyes tightly the entire time.

When she felt the old bandages fall off and fresh air hit her leg, she opened her eyes.

"OH MY GOD!" she shrieked, taking a step backwards. She bumped into the bed and fell right on top of it, where she lay, shaking.

"Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God OH MY FUCKING GOD!" She couldn't look. Good lord, she couldn't look again!

She snuck a peak, swallowing the lump in her throat. A few good layers of skin on her calf almost looked like they had been torn right off, revealing the pink flesh beneath. The skin around her wound had scabbed disgustingly in some pretty odd ways. Her leg looked revolting.

"My leg is … ugly!" And she burst into tears, partially because she was sure it would leave a disgusting mark and she would never be able to wear cute dresses ever again, and partially because this only confirmed her biggest fear:

The accident had happened. She had been crushed by a car. She was supposed to be _dead _and in heaven or hell or reincarnated or something!

Nothing made sense.

There was a knock at the door. "Tally? Are you alright?" Beth.

Tally sniffed, wiping her tears away. She wanted to respond, but she didn't know how. "_I'm fine, just having a mental breakdown!" _or _"Pffft, this pain ain't nothin' for moi!" _or perhaps _"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!" _

So she sat on the bed silently. Beth took this as an invitation, and walked in, stopping abruptly when she saw Tally. She sighed, "Oh, Tally."

The young girl tried to glare. "I get it! I'm pathetic, crying over something like this. But, Beth, I feel so wrong here! This _thing_," she scowled at her leg, "just confirms it!"

Beth didn't say anything; she just sat beside Tally, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close. And Tally cried, feeling all the more sorry for herself and her situation as time went on.

She had no idea how long they stayed like that. It could have been two minutes or two hours. All she knew was that she didn't want to leave. Beth's arms were a good, solid place to be.

"I know you're scared," Beth murmured. "Everyone is."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm such a burden, and I shouldn't be here—"

Beth pulled away, laying two hands on Tally's shoulders and looking her right in the eyes. "Tally, one more word and I'll be forced to slap you."

Tally stared back, stunned. "Wha—"

"After all this time, I'm sure you'd have realized that you are not, in any way, a burden!"

"Beth, all I do is cry, eat your food, and whine about those smelly candles you have lying around."

"Herbal candles provide nothing but spiritual and mental enlightenment." Beth protested. "Besides that, Tally, you are so much more than that."

"How?" she mumbled.

"Well, you tell very funny stories. You keep me company. Your jokes are awful, but we can work on that." She smirked, something Tally had never seen her do before.

"I like my jokes!" Tally defended.

"And I like my candles," Beth finished. "We're a team."

"…A team," Tally repeated quietly to herself. "We're a team."

"A team," Beth confirmed, smiling softly. "So you're welcome to stay until you're as old as me, and even then."

Tally sniffed and giggled. "Okay."

Beth scooped up the fresh bandages on the bed and dangled them in front of the brunette. "Now, what do you say we get these things on?"

Tally cracked a smile, wiping the last bits of sadness out of her eyes. "Okay."

* * *

Beth decided that that day would be a perfect day to teach Tally to cook, despite the fact that Tally was useless with handling food, unless it came to eating it. Back in Winevra, her mother constantly insisted she cook for guests, making curries or frying chicken and boiling rice. And each of those guests had ended up grimacing, puking, forcing a pained smile before bursting into tears, or never visiting again.

It wasn't her fault! It got boring watching food, so she usually ended up on her computer as she waited for it to finish. And then she'd forget about it until the smell of burnt culinary failures filled the air, along with her mother screaming at her in some odd mixture of Arabic and Hindi and English.

She could only hope Beth wouldn't mind the inevitable waste of time and ingredients.

"Uh, Beth?" she asked over her shoulder, stirring the red substance in the pot nervously. "Am I doing this right? Because, no offense, it kind of looks like blood."

Beth glanced at the pot and shook her head. "It's perfectly fine, Tally. Make sure the beets are mixed in well." And she went back to chopping more beets.

Tally frowned, but shrugged and continued to work. Beth had determined that beet soup, Borscht, would be a perfect dish for Tally to make: simple, but delicious. And though she hadn't done much besides stir and cut up onions and cabbage, Tally couldn't help but be proud of her Borscht. It hadn't burnt, and it _did _smell good, especially with the beef broth.

Perhaps this was one culinary masterpiece on the road to many!

Besides, the beets were such a fabulous color. Perhaps she could use them as painting tools! Tally one up and ran her fingers over it. Immediately, the red color rubbed off onto her hands. _Yes, yes. These are definitely on my list of new materials._

"Well, there are the last of them!" Beth wiped her forehead with the back of hand and pushed the tray of chopped beats towards Tally. "Put those in and keep stirring, okay? I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"W-Wait! You want me to work on these _alone_?"

Beth offered an encouraging smile. "You'll do great; don't worry. If you need anything, or if something happens, just give me a shout."

"O-Okay…" Tally said, but Beth was already gone.

It had all been going perfect, so perfectly. Beth thought of her a team member, a part of her family. She was learning to rely on Beth and ask her things without feeling like a nuisance. _And_ she now knew how to cook fabulous Borscht! All in one day! Right now, for the first time since she had woken up in this strange little town, Tally was content with where she was in life.

_Knock, knock!_

Tally jumped, eyes widening. Someone was at the door? She glanced at the clock: 9:52 PM. Who came at this ungodly hour?

_Unless..._

Tally swallowed hard, and continued to stir her soup. _Maybe if I ignore them..._

The knocking only increased, and almost seemed to be getting even more aggressive and louder. Whoever was at the door obviously wanted to get in, and fast. Tally bit down on her lip, now stirring viciously_. Ignore them and maybe they'll believe there aren't any victims in the house to murder or engage in communication with._

"Tally?" Beth called out, and a wave of relief washed over the teenager. She wasn't alone! She had Beth to watch over her and protect her and feed her enemies vile concoctions. She was safe.

"Tally, is someone at the door?"

"Yeah! It's okay; just ignore 'em and they'll go away!" Tally yelled back.

Tally heard Beth sigh and say, "Tally, go answer the door."

"B-But—" _BUT THEY COULD BE EVIL TROLLS OR SOMETHING. DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS, BETH. _

"Don't worry. It's probably a customer. Besides, I'm right here. Give me a shout if you need anything."

Tally gulped. She was afraid that her shouts would be the last thing Beth would hear from her.

Nonetheless, she set the spoon on the counter and took a breath. Poking her head around the corner, she tiptoed out of the kitchen and up to the door. She could hear a few more knocks, some murmurs and a yell. Her heart lifted. _Maybe they were leaving!_

"Tally, quit stalling!"

"Okay, okay!" She swung the door open.

Tally wasn't sure what she was expecting, exactly. The nice old man next door, with cherries to offer them? A dirty looking woman with an axe in her hands and a crazy look in her eyes?

Instead, two strange figures stared at her. Well, one stared. The other glared, though he looked a bit surprised. She noticed the staring one first, because he was at least seven feet tall, and dressed in a funny suit of armor. Two red eyes looked down at her. _Are you kidding?! I knew Kriasin was behind with technological advancements, but do they seriously have _knights _parading around? What the fuck! _

However, he still looked more welcoming than the other one, who was thoroughly drenched, his red coat dripping and form shaking. He had long, braided hair in a golden color. Tally marveled at it. It was a lot prettier than her own hair.

With his long locks, she would have assumed he was a girl, if not for his square jaw and his lack of breasts or other womanly figure signs. But the strangest thing about him was his eyes: they were the color of liquid gold, staring into her brown ones with a ferocity she hadn't seen before.

"Hello?" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Anyone home?" Tally flinched.

Armor Dude nudged him. "Brother!" he hissed, quietly. "She could be deaf!"

Tally broke from her trance long enough to murmur, "I'm not."

"Oh! We're sorry for barging in so late," Armor Dude said, doing a strange little bow. "We were wondering if you knew where we could find our friend Beth...?"

Tally looked between the two. _What do I say?_ she thought. _I didn't know Beth had friends! Unless ... THEY'RE LYING. And their eyes ... Both such weird colors..._

She had no idea what to say, whether to shoo them off or let them in or call Beth. So, she did the logical thing: she slammed the door in their faces and ran upstairs like a scared deer, ignoring the sounds of protest from the two.

Tally came face to face with Beth in the hallway. The older woman looked worried. "Tally? Tally, what's wrong? Who was at the door?"

Tally shivered. "T-Two boys ... At the door..."

Beth's eyes widened, and she hissed, "Shit."

Tally was too surprised that Beth - BETH! - had sworn to do anything but stare as she pushed past her. But when Beth reached the bottom of the stairs, she bounded after her, shrieking, "Wait! They're not rapists or pedophiles or anything! I think..."

Beth spun around. "You think? Tally, did they try anything on you? Because if they did..."

Tally shook her head, flailing her hands around like a suffocating fish. "No, no, no! They're just really freaky-looking. I mean, one was super tall and in a giant metal suit! And the other was kind of short but he had girly hair and oh, God, Beth, THEY HAD WEIRD EYES TOO!"

Beth gazed at Tally oddly, but then a look passed over her face. _Wait. Was that recognition?_

Beth spun around and grabbed the doorknob. Tally yipped and raced upstairs, pausing at the top of the stairs to listen in on the conversation.

Beth: Boys! Come back here! It's me!

Footsteps running, getting louder and louder and ... OH GOD THEY WERE INSIDE THE HOUSE. _THE DEMONS WERE INSIDE THE HOUSE. _

Goldilocks: Gee, Beth, take your time!

Beth: I'm so sorry. You scared Tally here earlier.

Goldilocks: You mean that girl with the messy hair? Who'd acted like she'd never seen a real human before?!

Tally twitched and emerged from her hiding spot. "Excuse you! I like my hair!"

And she immediately regretted it, because three heads turned towards her.

Only Beth smiled. "Tally, come down and say hello! This is Edward and Alphonse Elric. They used to stay here with me, just like you!"

Tally cautiously approached them. "Hi."

"Hi," Armor Dude said. Without the noisy rain, she noticed his voice was high pitched and childish, like he was no older than eleven. "Sorry about earlier. My name's Alphonse."

She shook his hand, smiling nervously. "My name's Tally. Uh, sorry about um … the thing. Beth didn't tell me she had sons."

Beth sighed, but Goldilocks – _Edward – _shook his head wildly. "No, no, you've got it all wrong! Beth's not our _mother! _She was just our … host for a few days."

"Oh." Tally mentally murdered him. _Idiot! You should have gone along with the 'son act'! Then we could've discussed embarrassing stories and your absentee father and other random crap. _Now _what do we talk about?! Your shampoo? I must admit, though, I _am _curious…_

"Boys, this is Tally Kingston." Beth linked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "She's actually in a situation very similar to yours. She can't go home right now, so she's staying here with me."

"Yeah," Tally confirmed. "Just … chilling with Beth."

_Goddamnit, I should have taken 'social communications' as an elective in middle school! But nooo! I just _had _to pick hula dancing, didn't I? _

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Edward asked, "So where're your parents?"

"_Brother!" _Armor Dude – _Alphonse – _scolded. "You can't just ask personal questions like that!" Tally decided she liked Alphonse far more than Edward. Besides, his name was cooler.

"What?" Ed defended. "I'm curious!"

Tally sighed. She didn't like repeating her lie. It just seemed stupider the more she said it. "I lost-" Then, something else hit her. Hadn't Penny and Reese mentioned two strange boys that had stayed with Beth?

"…_There was the first two. These two boys, young, and very, very strange. One was around seven feet tall! And he walked around in a suit of armor, like it was no big deal. And the other was quite short, though he insisted he was the older brother!" Reese threw her head back and cackled, as if this was hilarious. "As if! He was probably shorter than you!"_

_Penny chose this moment to jump in with her own input of the two boys. "They were funny," she said, stifling a yawn. "The armor guy liked cats. But the short guy was weird. It was funny when you called him short. He would start spazzing and dying." She grinned evilly, and Tally felt a momentary twinge of sympathy for the poor boy that had had to deal with Penny._

Tally's jaw fell. "Hey! You're the first two!" She pointed a finger at the two, who looked at her oddly.

"The first two?" Al asked, tilting his helmet to the side.

Tally nodded eagerly. "Yup! Reese and Penny told me about you guys. You're Alphonse, the tall, nice, armor guy. And you…" she pointed to Ed, who looked smug. "You're the short one."

In a millisecond, the smug look faded and was replaced with one of rage. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE CAN RIDE A BEATLE LIKE A HORSE?!"

"I never said that!" she defended. "Jeez, don't flatter yourself. You're probably so small, you could ride a _plant molecule_ as a horse!" A new sort of energy seemed to course through Tally's veins. With Justin gone, she hadn't been able to properly tease someone in nearly two weeks! Now, she had the perfect target.

"WHAT?!" Edward probably would have pummeled her face in, had Al not been there to hold him back. He struggled against him, fists flying at the air. Tally stepped back, laughing hysterically.

"LET ME AT HER, AL!" he growled.

Tally jumped into an exaggerated fighting stance. "Yeah, Armor Dude! You hold him and I'll punch! That is, if I can see him…"

"SHUT UP! AT LEAST I DON'T LOOK LIKE A TEN YEAR OLD WITH A BAD HAIRCUT!"

Tally gasped. _Did this asshole just … INSULT MY HAIR AND MY BOOBS IN ONE COMMENT?! OH, SHIT JUST GOT SERIOUS. _"COME AT ME, BRO!" She gestured to herself, eyes narrowed. _Bring. It. On._

"Gladly!" The blonde struggled even harder against his brother.

"ENOUGH!"

The two stopped fighting long enough to stare at Beth. Neither had seen her shout before. She looked at them sternly. "Now, you two, the last thing any of us needs is a murder in here. Tally, play nice. Edward, don't be mean. If any of you fight, you will _both _be sleeping under bridges. And I know for a fact that the crocodiles there get hungry."

Tally gulped. _I don't want to end up like Captain Hook, do I? _

Beth turned to the brothers. "Now, I'm assuming you boys need a place to stay?"

The two gawked. "H-How'd you know?!" Ed stammered.

"Call it intuitive reasoning." Beth winked. "It's fine. You won't be imposing or anything, so you can take those foolish thoughts right of your heads. I can prepare a room."

Ed waved a hand dismissively, though he seemed close to giving in. "No, no, that's fine. I mean, you've already got someone here. Your plate's probably full!"

Tally narrowed her eyes. _I know I'm a burden, alright? No need to rub it in! _She stuck her chin out defiantly. "For your information, I'm very helpful!"

Ed sneered, "Oh, sure. I bet you have no problem scaring away visitors!"

"Obviously not, or you'd be long gone!"

"Tally." Beth laid a hand on her shoulder and sent her a warning look. "The Elrics are wanted here just as much as you are. Okay?"

Tally shrank back, lowering her eyes. "S-Sorry…"

"Hey, is something burning?" Edward wrinkled his nose.

The brunette let out a little scream. "MY BORSCHT!" She raced back into the kitchen, and gazed into the pot. Her beautiful red borscht was now a duller brown color, and it was smoking badly. Fighting tears, Tally turned the stove off and took a cautious taste. _Burnt … it's completely burnt! All thanks to those guys! _

Beth walked in after her. "Tally? Oh, my…"

Tally squared her shoulders. "I'm so sorry. I-I forgot all about it." She wiped at her eyes quickly.

The blonde woman sighed. "Tally, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault at all. Here…" She turned Tally around and looked her in the eyes, smiling softly. "You go on ahead upstairs and I'll get started on dinner here, okay? Or you could go talk to the Elrics. We can try again with the borscht later. Alright?"

Tally nodded. She appreciated Beth trying to make her feel better, but she still felt like her entire day had gone down the drain. She had _finally _started to be happy, and today she felt like herself, who she hadn't felt like in a long, long time.

_And then those assholes had to come up and sucker punch me right in the stomach! _she thought angrily.

The Voice jumped in. _Silly, silly, Tally. It was your own fault, forgetting it. Stop blaming those boys for your mistake._

Tally just ignored it. She didn't have time to deal with it, or anything. right now. So she turned on her heel and took the stairs two at a time, all the while careful not to look at the Elric brothers.

* * *

Edward Elric was _not _in a good mood. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Rain always seemed to dampen his viewpoints, and, mixed with the busted train and being forced to wait another way before getting to their destination, he felt more irritated than he had in a long time.

Not that he minded Beth. In fact, he liked her. Beth was always calm, smart, and she always seemed to take his temper and sarcastic remarks into stride. She had also provided them in information during one of their earlier missions, some valuable knowledge that not only helped them learn a bit more about The Stone, but also aided them on their mission. So they finished in record time and impressed Mustang enough to receive a jump start lead on their quest.

Really, if he thought about it, he owed a lot to Beth. He couldn't say the same about the girl – Tally – though. He hated the way she had slammed the door in their faces, like they were some kind of freaks. Not to mention, she called him small! That kind of behavior was a base for enemyship.

"So, boys," Beth said as she led them into the living room. "How are your adventures going?"

The two took a seat on the couch. "Eh. Can't complain. What about you?" Ed grinned. "Seems like you haven't changed a bit."

The woman smiled. "Edward Elric, we are always growing spiritually, even if we cannot see it. Change is all around us." She swept her arms in a grand gesture. "Although, in your case, spirituality may not be your forte."

"Not really," he sighed. Beth was always chiding him for 'blocking his chakras' or 'never learning to allow the true divine nature of his being lead him'. He was used to it by now.

"And Alphonse?" She turned to him. "I see your teacher still has you in your alchemy training suit."

The younger brother scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, she has. She's, um, pretty strict about it!"

"And your quest? How does it fare?"

"Q-Quest?" Edward gulped. _No way … Beth can't know about…_

"You two joined the military for a reason, I'm presuming. I have no clue what it is, so do not worry. But how is it going?"

Ed looked down at his lap, eyebrows furrowed. "Fine."

"Good. Now, are you two heading somewhere?"

Al nodded. "Yes, we are. We're heading to Grodowne, the next town over."

Beth's eyes widened, and she stood up abruptly. "Grodowne, you say?"

The brothers exchanged a glance. "Yeah, Grodowne…" Ed said uncertainly. "Why do you sound so—"

"Oh, that's the most wonderful news I've heard in a blue moon!" She spun around, smiling widely. "I'm so glad!"

_Yup. Beth's gotten crazier, _Ed thought, holding back a sigh. "Wait, wait, wait. What's got you so worked up about it?! It's just a city and—"

Beth stopped spinning and clamped her hands over Ed's shoulders, in her usual Beth-fashion. "I need you to take Tally to Grodowne with you."

There was a moment of silence, and Beth gazed at the two expectantly. Edward let the request sink in: '_I need you to take Tally to Grodowne with you'. Tally? The brat from earlier? _

"No way!" He gritted his teeth. "We're not babysitters."

His brother gave him a look. "Brother! Quit being so mean!"

"I'm not being mean!" Ed protested. "But we can't afford a third person slowing us down. We've got work to do in Grodowne, not take some girl shopping!"

Beth sighed. "Edward, you haven't grown up much, have you?"

"Hey!"

"I wouldn't have asked you to take Tally _shopping. _She's lost her memories."

Edward's eyes widened. "Lost her memories…?"

Beth nodded. "Yes. She's been through a lot. I found her around two weeks ago, during a storm, passed out. I brought her in so she wouldn't catch pneumonia. And, well, when she awoke, she could only remember little snippets here and there, such as her name and age. It's a peculiar case that the doctors here cannot handle. Taking her to Grodowne, with its more advanced health care, is the only suitable option here!"

"Why can't _you _take her?" The blonde alchemist crossed his arms, glaring.

"I have my customers here, Edward. I am very busy these days. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't think you'd be up to it. Besides, Tally is a very smart girl, but she's new and unfamiliar with these cities. And her physical fitness level is quite sad. She'll need two strong boys like you to protect her."

Before Ed could open his mouth to provide another angry protest, Al jumped in. "Sure, Beth. We'll take her."

Beth smiled, but Edward's head whipped around to face his brother. "Al!"

"Brother, come on! Beth has done so much for us. This is the least we can do in return."

"It will only take a day at the most, Edward. If it takes any longer, I will personally come and stay with Tally for the remainder of her visit." Beth shot him a winning smile.

Ed sighed. He wanted nothing less than having to take some random teenage girl (that also happened to call him short many times) along with him and his brother. But his brother had a point; this was the second time Beth had agreed to shelter them at no cost. And the first time, she had even _helped _them.

He looked away, setting his jaw. "Fine."

Beth clasped her hands together. "At last! You are allowing the stubbornness that clogs your valves to dissolve and flow with the waters of your morale!"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure she's up by eight, alright? We can't be late."

"Of course."

* * *

***wipes forehead* well. that was certainly long, wasn't it?**

**at least i hope it is.**

**i'm sorry if this chapter was long, though. i've actually gotten swept up into a new anime recently, called Code Geass. i'm sure some of you guys have seen it! :D i'm halfway through the second season, but i'm dying of feels! IT'S SO FUCKING BRILLIANT I CAN'T EVEN. **

**ahem.**

**so this meant i was distracted. but it also meant i got to get my mind off of things for a while, so my life sort of let itself unravel. which is good. too tense a life isn't good for anyone! now, i feel a lot more of a writer. besides, Code Geass is a complicated anime, so it helped my brain get back into the 'writer mode'. *shrugs* complications are inspiring.**

**AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO GET ED AND AL IN CHARACTER? because, i assure you, it is quite hard! i'm rewatching the series and studying their portrayals. however, if you guys feel ANYTHING is OOC (seriously; it can even be how much Al talks or how Ed reacts to wood), please please please let me know, so i can fix it. **

**now, to avoid having a long-as-fuck author's note (again), i shall now move on with the Review Replies!**

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**Replying to the Sexy Cookies**

**wannyanpu: ah, yes. this review is short. whatever shall i do? *wipes eyes* we're all busy, girl. life is quite hectic, is it not? **

**yes. Tally is quite funny. i am glad you love it! (and i'm going to reply to the rest of your reviews here because i'm lazy) **

**ohhhh! note the subtle character comparisons, children. take notes. at least, i think she's changed. she used to be a lot like Luna, but now i find her to be less head-in-the-clouds and more head-in-the-spirit-world. and her role is already pretty big. can you imagine poor Tally without her? she'd have been in trouble. **

**AH YES! silver! who needs gold anyways? pfft. silver looks a lot cooler, in my opinion. and you better burn those Twilight AMVs. although, really, they wouldn't be AMVs, because AMVs means Animated Music Videos. and Twilight isn't animated (thank God). **

**spell check is _always _dumb. **

**Penny actually wasn't inspired by Vanellope, believe it or not! i only really recognized the comparison once you brought it up. but, hm, now that you mention it...**

**good on you for defending a girl! bad on her for hitting your friends. geez, people can be so stupid sometimes, can't they? **

***blush* well, you never cease to amaze me, either! it goes both ways, woman! *facepalm* 'bottle of beast' is a metaphor, silly. a bad one, but a metaphor. but all the same, DO NOT DRINK MY BEASTS. here is the update!**

**thank you so much for the reviews. :) they were fun to read.**

**AND YOU KEEP WRITING, TOO, Y'HEAR? **

**RetroMonkey:****you love it? ^_^ thank you so much! i appreciate your kind words! and, well, here it is! she's met Ed and Al. let's see how the next chapter goes. i hope you enjoy this one. **

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan:**** yup. a passing mention, but better than nothing, i suppose. ^_^ and now here they are! in person! and so the adventures and fun begin. thank you for reading and reviewing, and i hope you enjoy this update!**

**Clai****r Aragon:**** really? :) i'm glad we share a similar viewpoint. your Soul Seeker theory sounds very interesting. it does explain different beliefs and things. *shrugs* i think about this a lot, too. if you ever want to talk about it, my inbox is always open and ready! thank you for reading and reviewing! :) **

**Anonymouse:****i don't know if the 'e' at the end of your name is intentional or not, but if it is, congratulations on that stroke of brilliance. i'm glad you liked my story! ^_^ the plotline took a lot of work, but i'm happy with how it's currently turning up. and thank you! in Tally's case, i was going for relatable/unique, so it's good to hear that kind of feedback. and, yeah, she has cute tendencies. she's really passionate about weird little things. thank you for reading and reviewing!**

**Guest:**** thank you! i'm glad you find this chapter awesome! and i have kept going, and here is the next chapter. i hope you like it!**

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**well. those are the amazingly Sexy Cookies that reviewed! if _you _review, you may also get an amaaaaazing reply by moi. haha, nah, review if you want. i just hope everyone likes it. ^_^ **

**and i'm really happy/_surprised _with all the positive feedback. so thank you to everyone that's read, reviewed, favorited, alerted, smiled at, cried at, or even just glanced at my story and thought, _hm, sounds interesting. _you guys are all beautiful butterflies. :) **

**and now, my dear readers, i must leave ... for now. expect another update ... soon! i hope... **

***zooms away on horse***


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